Intestinal amoebiasis is a common disease in countries with poor sanitation. It is caused by the simplest parasitic organisms - amoeba. Who has the highest chance of contracting amoebiasis? How does the intestinal form of this disease manifest itself, and how is it treated? This information may be useful for people going on a trip or a long business trip.
Some statistics
The greatest likelihood of contracting intestinal amoebiasis prevails in regions where there is a high level of unsanitary conditions, since infection occurs by the oral-fecal route. The risk zone includes countries located in tropical and subtropical humid climates. Most often, travelers bring intestinal amoebiasis from India and Mexico. These countries have a very high incidence of disease among the local population. Also a large percentage of incidence in Africa and South Asia. In some territories, 50 to 80% of the population is affected by the disease. So, going to distant countries, it would be useful to learn everything about amoebiasis - what it is and how not to catch this infection in the first place.queue.
You can get sick with intestinal amoebiasis not only in exotic countries. Not everything is going smoothly in the post-Soviet space either. The spread of amoebiasis, of course, is not so strong there. It is observed in Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
Oddly enough, men suffer from intestinal amoebiasis more often than women. It has been established that the natural susceptibility of the human body to amoebic invasion is quite high. According to statistics, intestinal amoebiasis is detected in one patient out of ten who have caught this parasite. Data published by the World He alth Organization show that more than 480 million people in the world are carriers of amoebas. Up to 50 million cases of intestinal and other forms of amoebiasis are officially recorded annually. Of these, 2% of cases become fatal.
Amoeba is the causative agent of intestinal amoebiasis
As already clear, the cause of the disease is a dysenteric amoeba. In Latin, the name of this parasitic protozoan is Entamoeba histolytica. The dysenteric amoeba subspecies is smaller than the common amoeba (Amoeba proteus). They are more mobile, their pseudopodia (pseudopodia) are smaller in size, but wider. The outer cell layer of the cytoplasm is separated from the inner endoplasm.
The life cycle of a dysentery amoeba involves 3 forms: tissue, luminal and cysts. The tissue form is detected only in patients with amoebiasis. It parasitizes in the mucous and submucosal layers of the walls of the colon. The luminal form and cysts are detected both in carriers and in patients. Placehabitats of these vegetative forms of dysenteric amoeba - the upper part of the large intestine. They are the main stage in the life cycle of the dysenteric amoeba.
How the infection is transmitted
Intestinal amoebiasis is transmitted from person to person. The spreader of the infection has already been ill, and is currently considered clinically he althy, but remains a carrier of cysts. Doctors consider intestinal amoebiasis and giardiasis, like other intestinal infections, to be a disease of dirty hands.
Transmission occurs as follows:
- The carrier of cysts, neglecting the rules of personal hygiene, releases them into wastewater, into the soil or into open water (excretion occurs with feces). Water enters the gardens and infects vegetables and fruits. A he althy person eats cysts with unwashed vegetables and fruits.
- Cyst carrier does not wash hands with soap after going to the toilet. Cysts are transferred to any objects, including food, which have been touched with dirty hands. A he althy person, without washing their hands before eating, swallows cysts, and they spread through the intestines.
As already mentioned, this route of distribution is called oral-fecal.
How the disease progresses
The swallowed cyst reaches the large intestine and enters the active phase of development. But this does not mean that a person has become ill with intestinal amoebiasis. The dysenteric amoeba can safely live in the large intestine, feeding on its contents. In this case, the person will be an asymptomatic carrier. harm itThe amoeba does not cause the condition, but it releases cysts to the outside.
If a person has an imbalance in the intestinal microflora or a weakened immune system, then the active form of the parasite behaves aggressively. The amoeba attaches itself to the intestinal wall and becomes a tissue parasite. Under the influence of the dysenteric amoeba, the intestinal wall gradually deteriorates. Pores that develop into ulcers become visible. The size of the ulcers on the walls is more than 10 mm. Through ulcers, waste products of amoebae enter the patient's blood. Constant stress, an unbalanced diet (starvation) and the accompanying overwork can also cause aggressive behavior of the dysenteric amoeba.
Complications of intestinal amoebiasis
The ulcers can be quite deep. In some cases, they "eat" through the intestinal wall. This is called perforation, or perforation of the ulcer. This condition causes complications of intestinal amoebiasis, as the contents of the intestines leak into the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis.
Other complications can occur if an ulcer forms at the site of a large blood vessel. It can cause profuse intestinal bleeding. And in this case, the way is opened for the spread of the active amoebic form throughout the body with the blood stream.
Blood transports the protozoan parasite to the liver, brain and other departments (bronchi, lungs, and so on). Next, the maturation of amoebic abscesses in the form of large abscesses begins. Most likely, such abscesses will occur in the right lobe of the liver. These complications can lead to the death of the patient.
Complications that accompany intestinal amoebiasis can cause a tumor of the intestine, the so-called amoeba, or gangrene of the colon. These conditions are also life threatening and require urgent treatment.
Symptoms of disease
Signs of amoebiasis (intestinal) appear as follows:
- The patient has frequent stools. In the initial stage of infection - up to 6 times a day, then - up to 10 times. In the feces, mucous and blood impurities become noticeable. In the neglected form, the stool turns into a mucus-bloody mass.
- At the beginning of the disease, the body temperature is within the normal range, then it rises sharply.
- The patient has pain in the lower abdomen. The nature of the pain is aching, cramping. Pain increases with bowel movements.
- There are false attempts to defecate (tenesmus).
Symptoms of a moderate course of intestinal amebiasis involves joining the above signs of vomiting, nausea and loss of appetite.
Acute intestinal amoebiasis lasts up to 6 weeks. When treatment is prescribed in a timely manner, then complete recovery occurs. If the treatment of amoebiasis was not prescribed or was violated (interrupted), then the symptoms disappear, but recovery does not occur. The patient enters a period of remission, which lasts from two weeks to several months. Then there is a resumption of amoebiasis with a transition to a chronic form. To prevent this, intestinal amoebiasis in adults and children must betreat in a timely manner.
Chronic form of intestinal amoebiasis
The chronic form of this disease can last for years. But with insufficient treatment or in its absence, the outcome is difficult to predict. Symptoms of the chronic form are as follows:
- A person feels an unpleasant taste and burning of the tongue, his appetite drops. Sometimes it disappears completely, causing exhaustion.
- The patient gets tired quickly, experiences general weakness. Cannot do simple work.
- There is a significant increase in the liver.
- Anemia develops, hemoglobin levels can be very low. The skin becomes pale.
- Pain in the pit of the stomach appears.
- Heartbeat becomes more frequent, an irregular pulse is felt, which are signs of cardiovascular lesions.
The chronic form often leads to complications that can be life-threatening.
Diagnosis. Fecal analysis
When contacting a doctor, the patient describes the symptoms, and the doctor examines and palpates the abdomen. During this manipulation, the doctor feels a slight bloating, detects pain points in the colon, probes for an increase in the right lobe of the liver (in case of a hepatic abscess), and detects a bulge on top of the abdomen (in case of amoebic hepatitis).
If a patient has intestinal amoebiasis, diagnosis involves the appointment of laboratory tests. First of all, this is a study of fecal masses, from whichswabs using one of two methods:
- Native smears, that is, applying a small piece of feces (a few drops of liquid stool) to a glass slide. By adding the necessary reagents, a transparent smear is obtained, which is studied under a microscope. So you can consider living forms of amoebae (translucent and tissue) and their cysts. To identify living forms, the material must be fresh, collected 30 minutes before the study. Otherwise, the amoeba will die and the smear will be false negative.
- Lugol coloring method. In this case, a native smear is prepared and an aqueous solution of iodine is added. Iodine is able to stain the transparent cells of cysts.
Stool analysis can not only identify various forms of dysenteric amoebae, but also establish the stage of infection.
Instrumental studies
To determine intestinal amebiasis, the following methods of instrumental research are used:
- sigmoidoscopy;
- ultrasound;
- computed tomography.
Amebic dysentery
For the first time, amoebas were found in the feces of a patient in 1875. This was done by the Russian scientist F. A. Lesh. And in 1883, the scientist R. Koch isolated this pathogen from intestinal ulcers and abscesses. In 1891, the new disease amoebiasis was included in the category of independent diseases. But then he was given the name "amoebic dysentery."
It is necessary to distinguish that ordinary dysentery (shigellosis) and amoebiasis are different diseases. In the first case, the distal sections are affectedlarge intestine. In the second case, the proximal sections. In addition, pain in dysentery is localized in the left side of the abdomen, and in intestinal amoebiasis - in the right side. Amoebic dysentery and shigillosis have different pathogens. Common dysentery is caused by Shigella bacteria.
Treatment of adult patients. Traditional approach
Traditional medicine prefers the treatment of mild forms of amoebiasis at home. The severe course of the disease requires referral to the infectious diseases department of the hospital. The main treatment for amoebiasis is medication. The most effective drugs are "Metronidazole", "Trichopol" and "Fazizhin". These are antiprotozoal and antimicrobial agents. In addition to them, drugs from other groups are often prescribed:
- the translucent form of the amoeba is effectively affected by: "Interoseptol", "Mexaform", "Intestopan";
- Ambilgar, Dihydroemetin and other drugs work best on the tissue form of amoebas;
- both living forms of dysentery amoeba are affected by tetracycline drugs.
Intestinal amoebiasis does not tolerate self-treatment. Any medicines and their dosage can be prescribed only by a doctor. The choice of drug is influenced by the form of the disease and the severity.
When amebiasis complication in the form of internal abscesses, the patient may need surgery.
Treatment of amoebiasis in children
Intestinal amoebiasis in children is treated in a hospital. Children are assigned"Trichopol", "Fazizhin" and (or) "Oleandomycin". Surgery is rare for abscesses.
Children's bodies lose fluid faster, so it needs to be replenished to prevent dehydration. In addition to replenishing the fluid level, it is necessary to control the level of hemoglobin.
Children are more difficult to tolerate intestinal amoebiasis, because their intoxication is more severe. In addition, childhood amoebiasis causes a higher body temperature.
Treatment. Traditional medicine
In their right mind, no one would treat intestinal amoebiasis with herbs and plants. But using folk remedies as an addition to traditional treatment is very effective.
The most commonly used garlic tincture. To obtain it, 50 g of garlic are finely chopped in 100 ml of high-quality vodka. The tincture stands in the dark for 14 days, and then taken with kefir, 15 drops 3 times a day.
Another good recipe is hawthorn infusion. To do this, you need dried hawthorn fruits, about 100 g, and 2 cups of boiling water. When the infusion has cooled, it is filtered and drunk throughout the day. By the same principle, sea buckthorn fruits are steamed.
Amebiasis forms
Everyone who wondered: "Amebiasis: what is it and how to treat it?" Now they know the answer. We add that, in addition to the intestinal form of amebiasis, there is an extra-intestinal and cutaneous form. Any human organ can suffer from the extraintestinal form, but the liver is most often affected. From the skin form, ulcers form on the buttocks,in the anal area, in the perineum or on the arms.
