AMOEBIASIS

Amoebiasis is a common intestinal protozoan infection. In most of the cases the infection is asymptomatic. It is present in worldwide and more common in the regions where there is a poor standards of personal and food hygiene and inadequate sanitation. Approximately 10 percent of world‘s population are infected by this disease.Entamoeba is a bacterial protozoa which is responsible for cause of this disease. The infection is transmitted by ingestion of food or water, contaminated with material containing cysts of Entamoeba.Cysts are easily destroyed by most disinfectants and by heating to 55C but may survive chlorination of water and in water at low temperature. Incubation period for this disease varies from 2 weeks to months. Acute amoebic infection of the intestine causes dysentery with low grade fever, blood or mucus in the stools these are the some of the important symptoms of this disease. Amoebic liver abscess develops in 1 percent of infected persons. The child presents with high fever with chills and abdominal pain and half of the patients may have associated diarrhoea, dysentery and weight loss.Metronidazole is the drug of choice for the treatment of Amoebic liver abscess.Percutaneous drainage of abscess under guidance is preferred over open surgical drainage. Metronidazole is the most popular drug used in treatment of Amoebiasis.