Abstract Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite representing a serious public health care crisis worldwide. It primarily affects people in low-income regions of impoverished nations and may affect the colon, liver, spleen, lungs, and brain. Erythrophagocytosis is a process that is vital to the pathogenicity of E. histolytica and therefore, the examination of molecular mechanisms involved in this pathogenicity is crucial. Various groups of molecules are involved in erythrophagocytosis in E. histolytica including groups of actins, myosins, small GTPases, transmembrane proteins, and lectins. Due to the innate complexity of E. histolytica, further study is necessary to determine novel molecular mechanisms and work towards enacting public health solutions to E. histolytica.
Entamoeba histolytica: A Severe Public Health problem Entamoeba histolytica is a pathogenic protozoan parasite affecting primarily the colon and by extension, the liver. On some occasions the lungs, brain, and spleen may be infected as well, but this is not due to direct infection by Entamoeba but by secondary infection through close proximity to direct Entamoeba ulceration. Amebiasis is the clinical manifestation of symptomatic Entamoeba histolytica infection and affects approximately 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the more severe parasitic infections. Clinical symptoms of amebiasis include, but are not limited to: dysentery, weight loss, abdominal pain and cramping, fatigue, dehydration, and systemic bacteremia due to colic ulceration. Infection by Entamoeba histolytica can result in severe medical complications and requires prompt diagnosis and treatment with an amebicide followed by a luminal agent (to treat secondary bacterial infection due to ulceration). The translation of “histolytica” into English literally means “tissue-destroying”, an apt moniker
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