A survey of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar (Brumpt) infections on Mahé, the Seychelles

Abstract

E. histolytica, pathogenic, and E. dispar, non-pathogenic, being morphologically identical are, when recovered as cysts in feces, diagnosed as E. histolytica. A survey on The Seychelles demonstrated that when culture and zymodeme characterization was used to compare against microscopy alone, the risk of overdiagnosis of E. histolytica infections was drastically reduced. From a total of 313 subjects tested 21 cultures grew amebas. By zymodeme analysis eight were E. histolytica, 40 were E. dispar and the remainder were various species of non-pathogenic intestinal amebas. Two further small comparative surveys confirmed these findings.