Entamoeba coli - Wikimedia Commons
  • Mostly found in warmer climates
  • Reproduces by binary fission
  • Encysts and is passed out in the faeces

Pathogenesis

  • Is the main cause of amoebic dysentery in man
    • Acts as a source of infection for dogs and cats
  • Monkeys have their own strains of Entamoeba histolytica which are also infective for man
  • Trophozoites secrete proteolytic enzymes which produces flask-shaped ulcers in the mucosa of the large intestine
    • Erosion of the large intestine may allow the parasite to enter the bloodstream which can cause abscesses in the liver

Diagnosis

  • Detection of motile organisms and cysts in fresh faecal smears