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Modern Criteria for the Laboratory Diagnosis of Amebiasis

Clinically speaking, the term "amebiasis" refers to human infection with the pathogen Endamoeba histolytica. While an experienced physician may obtain considerable evidence that his patient is suffering from amebiasis, his presumptive diagnosis needs laboratory confirmation. Moreover, a large proportion of infected individuals present no clear-cut symptoms referable to this disease and the first evidence is provided when a stool specimen of the patient is sent to the laboratory for microscopic examination. Thus, amebiasis, like brucellosis, depends primarily on the laboratory for its diagnosis.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPENDABLE LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF AMEBIASIS 1. Demonstration of Endamoeba histolytica. Although the time may come (or possibly soon be at hand) when relatively dependable diagnosis of amebiasis can be made by serologic methods, today, just as a quarter of a century ago, proof of infection requires that the ameba itself must be demonstrated under the microscope.

In unformed stools and tissue aspirates E. histolytica typically occurs in the trophozoite stage.

¹ The writer is indebted to Doctor Wm. W. Frye for reading the manuscript and making several valuable suggestions.