The Incidence of Intestinal Protozoa Among Freshman Medical and Dental Students with Especial Reference to Amebiasis
H. Tsuchiya AND
J. Ted Jean
From the Departments of Bacteriology and Immunology and of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
1. Of 562 Freshman medical and dental students examined forintestinal protozoa during the past six years, cysts of E. histolyticawere found in 12 instances, 6 of which were among those fromMissouri; 2 from Illinois and one each from New York, New Jersey,Montana and Utah.
2. Excepting Missouri, Illinois and probablyCalifornia, eachof the remaining states and countries was representedby a smallnumber of students; hence no significance attachedto our finding.Nevertheless, the incidence of 2 to 5 per centamong studentsas well as hospital employees consisting chieflyof the residentsof Missouri indicated that our survey in SaintLouis approximatedthose conducted in New Orleans and Philadelphia.
3. None of the students harboring E. histolytica revealedanyhistory of diarrhea or symptoms suggestive of clinical amebiasiswith one probable exception. Nor were there any apparent symptomsreferable to the presence of other intestinal protozoa. However,since a majority of those infected were presumably carriers,no definite conclusion can be drawn as to the pathogenicityof the organisms concerned.