Human Amebiasis: Insight into the Biology and Immunopathogenesis

Several members of the genus Entamoeba infect humans including E. histolytica, E. moshkovskii, and E. dispar. Among these, only E. histolytica is considered pathogenic and is the causal agent of amebiasis. Amebiasis is the second most common cause of death from a parasite worldwide after malaria with considerable morbidity and mortality [1, 2]. Based on the site of infection, the clinical features of amebiasis range from asymptomatic colonization to amebic colitis (dysentery or diarrhea) and invasive extraintestinal amebiasis, which appears most commonly in the form of liver abscesses [2]. According to the World Health Organization, amebiasis occurs worldwide, with approximately 50 million people infected annually, causing close to 100,000 deaths per year. Therefore, it is important to understand the epidemiology, infection, and control of the disease. The aim of this chapter is to provide a current understanding of human amebiasis, which illustrates the parasite biology, mechanism ...