Prevalence and clinical importance of Entamoeba histolytica in two high-risk groups: travelers returning from the tropics and male homosexuals.
This study was undertaken to learn the prevalence of amebiasis and to assess the clinical importance of Entamoeba histolytica in two high-risk groups: 2700 travelers returning from the tropics and 320 male homosexuals. Some 16.3% of the homosexual men and 4.0% of the travelers had E. histolytica infections. Only five travelers showed a pathogenic zymodeme of E. histolytica, which correlated closely with invasive amebiasis with positive amebic serology and clinical symptoms with diarrhea. The homosexual group had neither a pathogenic isoenzyme pattern nor positive amebic serology. Currently, travelers to the tropics have a risk of 0.3% (1:340) of acquiring invasive amebiasis; 92.5% of all E. histolytica infections in travelers remain asymptomatic and are confirmed by serology and zymodeme status. No homosexual presented with invasive amebiasis.
Weinke
T
T
Universitätsklinikum Rudolf Virchow, II. Medical Clinic, Free University of Berlin, West Germany.
Friedrich-Jänicke
B
B
Hopp
P
P
Janitschke
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000562:Amebiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000818:Animals; D001604:Berlin; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004749:Entamoebiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014195:Travel; D014329:Tropical Climate
D007527:Isoenzymes