ABSTRACT
The trophozoite reproduces by binary fission, but the organization of its nuclear DNA during reproduction, and even the existence of chromasomes, are undecided. The life cycle of Entamoeba histolytica does not require a tissue invasive and destructive stage, since the parasite can survive and reproduce in the lumen of the intestine, undergo encystment and pass with the stools to the outer world. This chapter examines amebiasis from the standpoint of general pathology, i.e., not as a human or experimental disease, but rather as a series of different pathological processes occurring simultaneously in the same tissues or organs. It offers a selective and rather personal analysis of some current problems in the pathobiology of amebiasis.
