The discovery of nephrouroameba: was it real or not?
In 1938 Procaccini showed scientific interest in a new kind of ameba, and called it "nephrouroameba" from which the disease "nephrouroamebiasis" is derived. He wrote a paper titled "La Nefrouroamoebiasi" thus describing its history, the biopathogenetic evolutionary cycle of the protozoon, its therapeutic, epidemiological, anatomo-biological, diagnostic, cultural, biological and morphological features. Between 1934 and 1939, Procaccini had the opportunity to follow many patients belonging to a group of Italian soldiers serving in the Eastern Italian Army in Ethiopia. At that time he was responsible for the biopathological laboratory. After a short preclinical stage of fatigue, patients suffering from nephrouroamebiasis showed a nephrotic syndrome with gross hematuria. The symptoms ceased within a few days but residual microhematuria, albuminuria and urine casts persisted for many months. After microscopic observation, he reproduced some protozoons and classified them as a kind of ameba. Critical analysis of his report leads to the morphological identification of Trichomonas, thus excluding his classification as nephrouroamebas.
Bellinghieri
G
G
Division of Nephrology, University of Messina, C.da Conte Coop. Sperone, Is. 3 pal. E, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
Santoro
D
D
Mallamace
A
A
Ioli
A
A
LoGiudice
L
L
Venniro
G
G
Savica
V
V
D000562:Amebiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history*; D000656:Amoeba / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D014244:Trichomonas / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000947:Antigens, Helminth; C436518:DiAg protein, Dirofilaria immitis