ABSTRACT
Amebiasis, an infection caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, is the third leading parasitic cause of death in developing countries (second
to malaria and schistosomiasis) (1). The disease has a variable picture
and may cause acute or chronic symptoms. At one extreme it may remain
asymptomatic, on the other it can blossom into a devastating multisystem
disorder involving the liver, chest, brain, and almost any other tissue system. Because the major presenting symptoms in pleuropulmonary amebiasis are
pulmonary in nature, the illness is easily confused with other lung ailments
including pulmonary tuberculosis, bacterial lung abscess, and pulmonary
carcinoma. Delay in diagnosis remains a major factor in the severity of
the illness, so familiarity with the pleuropulmonary complications of
amebiasis is important.
