Amebiasis

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Overview	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention

Amebiasis

Alternative Names

Amebic dysentery; Intestinal amebiasis

Symptoms

Mild symptoms:

Diarrhea
- Passage of 3 to 8 semiformed stools per day
- Passage of soft stools with mucus and occasional blood
Abdominal cramps
Fatigue
Unintentional weight loss
Intestinal gas (excessive flatus)

Severe symptoms:

Bloody stools
- Passage of liquid stools with streaks of blood
- Passage of 10 to 20 stools per day
Fever
Vomiting
Abdominal tenderness

Note: In 90% of people with amebiasis there are no symptoms.

Exams and Tests

Examination of the abdomen may show liver enlargement and abdominal tenderness.

Tests include:

Stool culture of 3 stool specimens several days apart
Serology for amebiasis
Sigmoidoscopy


Amebic brain abscess


Digestive system


Digestive system organs

Review Date: 8/15/2006
Reviewed By: Hilary M. Babcock, M.D., Medical Director of Occupational Infection Control, Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's Hospitals; Instructor of Medicine, Infectious Disease Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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