AMOEBIC DYSENTERY

AMOEBIC DYSENTERY

Overview and Facts

Amebiasis is an infection in the intestine caused by a one-celled parasite called Entamoeba Histolytica. It is an easily-acquired disease, especially when one lives in poor sanitary conditions. It is mostly found in developing countries and, in some cases, men who indulge in same-sex intercourse.

One can easily be infected by amoeba when swallowing contaminated food or water that has touched the stool of a person affected with E. Histolytica. It can also be due to contaminated  water or food. Lastly, it can also be obtained just by touching or bringing to your mouth the cysts (eggs) picked up from surfaces that are also contaminated by the parasite. It is best to be hygienic so as not to spread amoeba. Washing hands with soap and water after every task can improve one’s health.

Amoebic dysentery usually shows up after one to four weeks after contact with the parasite, but there are some cases where you get infected more quickly or more slowly, depending on the environment and your immune system.

Types and Symptoms

TYPES

There are two types of dysentery; both are intestinal infections where you’ll get infected when consuming something that is infected with the bacteria/parasite.

  • Amoebic Dysentery.It comes from a parasite called Entamoeba Histolytica, which is acquired by poor sanitation in tropical and developing countries
  • Bacillary Dysentery.It comes from the bacteria called Shigella, which is the most common type of dysentery to have

 

SYMPTOMS

Once infected with amoebic dysentery, symptoms may include:

  • Loose/bloody stools
  • Stomach pain
  • Stomach cramping
  • Fever

On rare occasions, E. histolytica invades the liver and forms an abscess, but most uncommonly, it spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or brain.

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

You’ll mostly be asked to submit a sample of your stool to your health care provider, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll immediately have results for it. Some may ask you to provide several stool samples for several different days to examine your condition correctly. When diagnosing possible amebiasis, it may be quite tricky to deduce if you have one because some parasites and cells can look very similar to E. Histolytica when seen under a microscope. This parasite may be mistaken with Entamoeba Dispar, which is said to be ten times more similar to the parasite. Unlike the infection brought by E. Histolytica, which makes people sick, being infected with E. Dispar never makes people sick, and therefore, this makes treatment for it unnecessary.

 

TREATMENT

When you’ve been diagnosed with amoebic dysentery, your doctor will prescribe you with antibiotics. If you’ll be traveling around, it is best recommended that you:

  • Only drink from bottled or boiled (1 minute) water or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in a can or bottle.
  • Filter tap water by using an “absolute 1 micron or less” filter and dissolve an iodine tablet into the filtered water
  • Do not eat fresh fruits or vegetables that you didn’t prepare on your own.
  • Do not eat or drink any dairy products that could have been purified.
  • Refrain from eating foods from street vendors.

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