Kirkuk University Journal-Scientific Studies

Abstract

Amoebiasis is an important parasitic disease in human. The two species Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar are morphologically identical but E. dispar is none pathogenic and is not associated with symptomatic amoebiasis. In this study, from July to December 2013, 397 (212 male, 185 female) stool samples from in and out patients in Kirkuk Azady Teaching Hospital were examined microscopically. 97 samples of them were positive for Entamoeba histolytica / dispar. Blood samples were collected from E. histolytica / dispar positive patients, and the sera were examined by ELISA for differentiating the two species and evaluating the IgG levels in their serum. The overall rate of E. histolytica / dispar detected microscopically was 24.4%, while when the positive samples examined by ELISA technique 89.7% of them were E. histolytica and 10.3% were considered to be E. disbar. The serum samples of 27.58% of the patients whom had E. histolytica were positive for IgG antibody. The most age group which was infected with E. histolytica / dispar in both sexes were 41-50 years with rates of 39.13, 34.6 % for each of males and females respectively. A significantly high frequency (62.9, 94.8 %) of E. histolytica / dispar positive samples were contained RBC and pus cells respectively for each cell type, and the highest rate (28.8, 39.1%) were for those samples contained three pluses respectively for each of RBC and pus cells. The conclusion is that there is a big necessity of a serology confirmatory test after microscopic detection of E. histolytica to avoid un necessary treatment.