ABSTRACT
I. BACKGROUND Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite responsible for the disease amebiasis. Although the organism generally asymptomatically parasitizes the human gastrointestinal tract, it can invade the intestinal mucosa, giving rise to amebic dysentery, and in some cases it spreads to other organs, primarily the liver, where it causes amebic liver abscess. It is estimated that amebiasis is responsible globally for approximately 70,000 deaths per annum and is the fourth leading cause of death due to a protozoan infection after malaria, Chagas' disease, and leishmaniasis (1).
