Entamoeba moshkovskii and Entamoeba dispar-associated infections in pondicherry, India
Parija, S.Chandra.; Khairnar, K.
Journal of Health Population and Nutrition 23(3): 292-295
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1606-0997 PMID: 16262027 DOI: 10.2307/23499331Document Number: 262118
The prevalence of Laredo strain - Entamoeba moshkovskii - and non-pathogenic E. dispar in patients attending the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research hospital, Pondicherry, India, is reported here. E. moshkovskii is reported for the first time in India. Specimen collection was conducted during July-December 2004. The species are morphologically indistinguishable from pathogenic E. histolytica. Of 746 faecal samples screened, 68 showing cyst or trophozoite stage of E. histolytica, E. dispar, or E. moshkovskii were subjected to small sub-unit (SSU) rRNA gene-based polymerase chain reaction, which revealed a higher prevalence of E. dispar (8.8%) and E. moshkovskii (2.2%) compared to E. histolytica (1.7%) in patients. Only 19% of the 68 faecal samples, resembling E. histolytica by microscopy, were actually E. histolytica, implying that 81% of suspected infections were misdiagnosed and would have been treated unnecessarily with anti-amoebic drugs.