Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
It is well known that diarrhoea is caused by intestinal infection with parasites, bacteria, fungi or viruses.
OBJECTIVE:
This study was carried out to detect free living parasitic amoebae as a cause of diarrhoea .
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Stool specimens from 120 patients suffering from severe diarrhoea with abdominal cramps were examined directly and cultured on special media for the isolation of free-living amoebae.
RESULTS:
In 120 patients with diarrhoea, 14(11.6%) showed presence of motile cells suspected to be free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba. These amoebae were isolated in culture in 4(28.6%) of the cases.
CONCLUSION:
Fourteen cases of non-fatal acute dysentery due to free-living amoebae without symptoms of meningoencephalitis is reported. Isolation of Acanthamoeba sp. from diarrhoeic stool was successful in (4) cases