Fulminant amebic colitis: An unusual postoperative complication of intraabdominal malignancy

• Main Authors: S Misra, P Sakhuja, A K Agarwal, A Javed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine
• Subjects: entamoeba histolytica; fulminant colitis; gastrointestinal pathology; invasive amebiasis
• Online Access: http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=2020;volume=66;issue=2;spage=99;epage=101;aulast=Misra

Amebiasis caused by protozoa Entamoeba histolytica (EH) is the third leading parasitic cause of human mortality. Although amebiasis is endemic in India, only about 10% of the infected individuals manifest disease. Clinical spectrum of amebiasis ranges from asymptomatic colonization to amebic colitis to hemorrhagic and fulminant colitis. Factors causing an invasive infection are not completely understood. Pathogen virulence, host immunity, and ability of the pathogen to evade host immune response play vital role in determining the disease course. Host factors such as immunocompromised states may make an individual susceptible to develop symptomatic infection. Malignancies usually result in chronic debilitation which may make the individual prone to develop invasive amebiasis with rapid progression. We report two cases of invasive amebiasis which developed a fulminant course in the immediate postoperative period after abdominal surgeries for visceral malignancies.