Amoebic dysentery - What is it?
In this section
Amoebic dysentery can give you bad diarrhoea. You get amoebic dysentery if your bowels (intestines) are infected with a type of germ called amoeba.
Amoebas are tiny parasites. This means they can live inside your body. If you eat or drink food or water containing amoebas, they can get inside your body and live in your bowels. Sometimes they live inside your body without making you ill.[1] [2] But they can cause bad diarrhoea.
If you're infected with amoebas, your stools will contain amoebas. The amoebas can then get into food and water, and the infection can pass on to other people. For example, if you go to the toilet and don't wash your hands, amoebas from your stool could get into any food you prepare. Or sewage that isn't treated properly could contaminate drinking water.[3] [4] Eating food that's been washed in water contaminated with amoebas can also make you ill.
Even if the infection in your bowels doesn't make you ill, you can still pass it on to other people. So it's important to get treatment.
Who gets amoebic dysentery?
You usually get amoebic dysentery after eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water
. So it's more common to get the infection in developing countries, where the tap water isn't as clean as we're used to.[3]
[4]
Amoebic dysentery can also be passed from person to person. For example, if someone doesn't wash their hands after going to the toilet, then shakes your hand or gives you money, amoebas could pass into your mouth when you eat.
People from the UK are most likely to get amoebic dysentery when they're travelling. You're also more likely to get it if you:[1] [3] [5]
- Live in crowded conditions or in close contact with other people, such as at an army barracks
- Have a weak immune system, for example, because you're having chemotherapy or you have HIV
- Have oral sex or anal sex.
Preventing amoebic dysentery
If you're travelling in a developing country, there are things you can do to reduce your chances of getting amoebic dysentery. To read more, see Preventing amoebic dysentery.
References
- Stanley SL. Amoebiasis. Lancet. 2003; 361: 1025-1034.
- World Health Organization. Amoebiasis. Weekly Epidemiological Record. 1997; 72: 97-99.
- Davis AN, Haque R, Petri WA. Update on protozoan parasites of the intestine. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology. 2002; 18: 10-14.
- Lucas R, Upcroft JA. Clinical significance of the redefinition of the agent of amoebiasis. Revista Latinoamericana de Microbiologia. 2001; 43: 183-187.
- Petri WA, Singh U. Diagnosis and management of amebiasis. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 1999; 29: 1117-1125.
Glossary
- parasite
- Parasites are germs or creatures that can only survive by living on or in another living thing.
- diarrhoea
- Diarrhoea is when you have loose, watery stools and you need to go to the toilet far more often than usual. Doctors say you have diarrhoea if you need to go to the toilet more than three times a day.
- chemotherapy
- The use of chemicals or drugs to treat or prevent disease, usually cancer.
- HIV
- HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It's the virus that causes AIDS. It makes you ill by damaging cells called CD4 cells. Your body needs these cells to fight infections. You can get HIV by sharing needles for injecting drugs, or by having sex without a condom with someone who has the virus.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
