title: Genital infection caused by Entamoeba histolytica confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analyses.
abstract: Entamoeba histolytica is estimated to infect approximately 1% of the global population. In Japan, the prevalence of amebic dysentery has been increasing, with more than 800 patients newly diagnosed annually. However, genital infection with E. histolytica is uncommon even in endemic areas. We present a case of vaginitis caused by E. histolytica. A 50-year-old Japanese woman without history of overseas travel presented to a nearby clinic with increased vaginal discharge. She had hemorrhagic erosion at the uterine cervix with yellowish vaginal discharge, and was referred to our hospital for exclusion of malignancy. Cervical cytology revealed periodic acid-Schiff-positive protozoa not aggregating around squamous cells, and thus amebic vaginitis was suspected. We performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses and identified E. histolytica. The vaginitis was treated with metronidazole, and the disappearance of amebic protozoa was confirmed by cytology and PCR. Therefore, it may be important to obtain early diagnosis by cervical cytology and PCR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaneuchi
authors.forename: Itsuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Furuta
authors.forename: Yukie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaya
authors.forename: Kanako C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hatanaka
authors.forename: Mahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuno
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakuragi
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000235:genetics*; D004749:Entamoebiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D002577:Uterine Cervical Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Entamoeba histolytica; cytology; polymerase chain reaction; sequencing; vaginitis