A refractory case of hepatic amoebiasis

Abstract

A 39-year-old man had three separate episodes of hepatic amoebiasis despite one course of emetine and chloroquine, two courses of metronidazole, and one prolonged course of chloroquine. Asymptomatic intestinal amoebiasis was first detected after his third episode of hepatic disease, and his eventual cure followed an intensive regimen designed primarily to treat the intestinal infection. It seems likely that the intestinal amoebiasis had been present undetected since the onset of hepatic disease and had served as the source for reinfection of the liver.