title: Prevalence and pathogenicity of Entamoeba histolytica in three different regions of Pernambuco, northeast Brazil.
abstract: Parasitological examinations were carried out on 663 individuals of three different cities of Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil: Recife, Palmares and Bodocó. The population from a drought area of Pernambuco State, Bodocó, was investigated for amoebiasis and compared with Recife, metropolitan city (about 1.3 million of inhabitants) and another inland community, Palmares, located inside of the sugar-cane plantation region of the State. No evidence of invasive strains of E. histolytica were found in these inhabitants, provided that the isolated zymodemes I, III, IV, VIII, IX, X, XVII and XVIII are recognized as nonpathogenic strains of E. histolytica. Furthermore, the prevalence of intestinal helminths and other protozoan infections showed that these individuals are infected by other agents responsible for diarrhoeal diseases.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunopatologia Keizo Asami (LIKA), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brasil.
authors.forename: I da S
authors.initials: Ida S
authors.lastname: Aca
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Carvalho Júnior
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tateno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004404:Dysentery, Amebic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000453:epidemiology