Amoebiasis pathophysiology
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Transmission
Amoebiasis is usually transmitted by , but it can also be transmitted indirectly through contact with dirty hands or objects as well as by oral-anal contact.
Amoebiasis is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route (contamination of drinking water and foods with fecal matter), but it can also be transmitted indirectly through contact with dirty hands or objects as well as by anal-oral contact.
Infection is spread through ingestion of the cyst form of the parasite, a semi-dormant and hardy structure found in feces. Free-living amoebae, or trophozoites, that do not form cysts but die quickly after leaving the body may also be present: these are rarely the source of new infections. Since amoebiasis is transmitted through contaminated food and water, it is often endemic in regions of the world with limited modern sanitation systems, including Mexico, western South America, South Asia, and western and southern Africa.[1]
Amoebic dysentery is often confused with "traveler's diarrhea", or "Montezuma's Revenge" in Mexico, because of the prevalence of both in developing nations. In fact, most traveler's diarrhea is bacterial or viral in origin.
Liver abscesses can occur without previous development of amoebic dysentery.