Entamoeba histolytica

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Entamoeba histolytica
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Written Discovery

• Entamoeba histolytica was first discovered in
  Russia by Friedrich Losch in 1873. He found it
  in the stool of a farmer with chronic dysentery,
  and noticed a number of amoeba in it and
  concluded it was the cause of the dysentery.

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Early Records

• The earliest recorded symptoms of the parasite
  are found in Sanskrit documents known as
  Brigu-samhita, which was written around 1000BC.
  Texts that mention this disease are also Assyrian
  and Babylonian. Which indicates that the parasite
  was in the Tigris-Euphrates river in the 6th
  century B.C.
• The first accurate description of the disease was
  written in the 1800s by James Annersley in the
  book, Researches into the Causes, Nature and
  Treatment of the More Prevalent Diseases of India
  and of Warm Climates Generally
• The disease was recorded in Greece, Asia Persia
  and the European nations.

Back in my Day!!
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Recent Knowledge

• Known for a long time was the fact that people
  that shed the cysts recovered. Put forth in 1925
  by Emile Brumpt that there are two types of the
  parasite one that is invasive and one that is
  not, but it was not widely accepted.
• In 1969 WHO classified amoebiasis as infection
  with Entamoeba histolytica, with or without
  clinical manifestations, meaning that all
  strains could be pathogenic.
• In 1993 with the aid of biological and genetic
  data the invasive disease was to be known as E.
  histolytica and the non-invasive species named E.
  dispar.
• In 1925 a man named Dobell Described the
  organisms life cycle.

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Nowadays

• In industrialized nations infection is rare but
  can be found in recent immigrants from endemic
  regions, homosexual males, immunosuppressed
  persons, and institutionalized individuals.
• In the U.S. approximately 4 of the population is
  infected with the parasite. In 1993 a total of
  2970 cases were reported to the CDC 33 were
  Hispanic and 17 were from Asia.

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Prevalence

• Mainly in Developing Nations but can be found in
  the U.S., especially with the illegal immigration
  from poorer countries into the U.S. who bring the
  parasite in without knowing it.
• Entamoeba Species affect nearly 10 of the world
  population, and is the second protozoal killer
  next to malaria.
• Infection can be as high as 50 in areas such as
  Central and South America, Africa, and Asia
  resulting in almost 110,000 deaths annually.
• Usually dew to poor sanitation and the use of
  night fertilizer.
• It is seven to twelve time more common in men,
  but in children the rate is the same. Younger
  Children though are more at risk for the invasive
  disease which results in higher death rates.

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Spread

• Back in European Imperialism spread along with
  trade routes, because Europe was not the cleanest
  place.
• With illegal immigration, and immigration in
  general.
• Use of bad fertilizer to grow more food to feed
  growing nations.

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Solutions

• 90-99 are asymptomatic- which means that usually
  the disease cures itself and no medication is
  taken.
• Better waste management is important in
  containing the disease, and usually proper
  fertilizer instead of feces would help out as
  well. More Education
• Tests that test for certain antibodies are highly
  accurate but are rare in developing countries
  were the problem is epidemic, usually the way to
  tell in these parts of the world is through the
  feces.
• Ultrasounds can also be given to find the
  abscesses.
• Sometime surgery is done if the symptoms are
  sever.
• Iodoquinol- good for the cyst forms, can
  interfere with thyroid function.
• Paromomycin- if given in large doses can posses
  the same symptoms as the parasite.
• Diloxanide- not used in the U.S. adverse side
  affects.

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References

• http//www.emedicine.com/MED/topic116.htm
• http//www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2
  006/Amoebiasis/AgentsHistory.html