title: The discovery of nephrouroameba: was it real or not?
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, University of Messina, C.da Conte Coop. Sperone, Is. 3 pal. E, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellinghieri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mallamace
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ioli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: LoGiudice
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Venniro
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Savica
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; C436518:DiAg protein, Dirofilaria immitis