title: [Invasive amebiasis as a public health problem].
abstract: Amebiasis, an infection of humans with the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, has a wide distribution in Mexico. The lumenal, asymptomatic infection, as measured by the presence of cysts in stools has been recorded from 2.4% at Ometepec, Guerrero to over 55% at Mixquic, D.F., but only a small percentage of those having intestinal infection will develop invasive amebiasis, the main clinical forms being dysentery and liver abscess. In Mexico City, from 0.8 up to 14% of cases of acute diarrhoea in children requiring hospitalization were found to be associated with E. histolytica. Serological surveys for antibodies, suggest that approximately 5.98% of people had intestinal mucosal or liver invasion, but amebic dysentery may be five to 50 times more frequent than liver abscess, namely in children. Amebiasis may cause death when it manifests itself as fulminating colitis or liver abscess. Lethality in adults has been estimated to be around 0.2 to 2%, but in children with liver abscess it may be 1.1 to 26%. In addition to being a potentially lethal disease, it has important socioeconomic consequences, because incapacitating infections are rather frequent in wage-earning adult males requiring several weeks of hospitalization and from two to three months for full recovery. In Mexico, amebiasis has been more closely associated with poverty and low levels of sanitation than to climate, and in view of the high rates of morbidity and mortality caused by E. histolytica, more research into better and cheaper methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention is clearly necessary plus a substantial improvement in control strategies.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carrada-Bravo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004404:Dysentery, Amebic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008101:Liver Abscess, Amebic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged
vernacular_title: La amibiasis invasora como problema de salud pública.