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Amebíase

Last reviewed: 20 Aug 2025
Last updated: 27 Sep 2023

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presença de fatores de risco
  • diarreia
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • dor abdominal generalizada
  • dor abdominal no quadrante superior direito
  • perda de peso
  • tosse
  • febre
  • estado mental alterado ou fraqueza dos membros
  • dispneia
  • defesa e dor à descompressão brusca do abdome
  • icterícia
  • murmúrio vesicular diminuído à direita e alteração na percussão
Full details

Risk factors

  • exposição em áreas endêmicas
  • institucionalização de pessoas com deficiência intelectual
  • homens que fazem sexo com homens
  • contato sexual oral-anal
  • Infecção por HIV, infecção por sífilis vigente ou prévia
  • sexo masculino
Full details

Diagnostic investigations

1st investigations to order

  • microscopia das fezes
  • reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) ou PCR quantitativa (qPCR) das fezes ou pus do abscesso hepático para ácido desoxirribonucleico (DNA) de E histolytica
  • detecção do antígeno nas fezes
  • teste de anticorpo sérico
Full details

Investigations to consider

  • colonoscopia
  • ultrassonografia do fígado
  • radiografia torácica
  • tomografia computadorizada (TC) do fígado/tórax/crânio
  • ressonância nuclear magnética (RNM) cranioencefálica
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

amebíase sintomática

amebíase assintomática

Contributors

Authors

Koji Watanabe, MD, PhD

Attending physician

AIDS Clinical Center

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

Tokyo

Japan

Disclosures

KW is an author of a number of references cited in this topic.

Acknowledgements

Dr Koji Watanabe would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr William A. Petri, a previous contributor to this topic. WAP is a consultant for TechLab, Inc. which manufactures diagnostic tests for amoebiasis and is also the author of a number of references cited in this topic.

Peer reviewers

Ran Nir-Paz, MD

Senior Lecturer in Microbiology and Medicine

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center

Jerusalem

Israel

გაფრთხილება:

RNP declares that he has no competing interests.

Christopher Huston, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Division of Infectious Diseases

University of Vermont College of Medicine

Burlington

VT

Disclosures

CH declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewer acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.

Disclosures

Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Yellow Book 2024: health information for international travel. Section 5: travel-associated infections & diseases​ - parasitic. Amebiasis. May 2023 [internet publication].Full text

Public Health England. Interim public health operational guidelines for amoebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica). Oct 2017 [internet publication].Full text

Gonzales MLM, Dans LF, Sio-Aguilar J. Antiamoebic drugs for treating amoebic colitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Jan 9;1:CD006085.Full text  Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
  • Amebíase images
  • Differentials

    • Diarreia infecciosa
    • Colite ulcerativa
    • Abscesso hepático piogênico
    More Differentials
  • Guidelines

    • CDC Yellow Book 2024: health information for international travel -amebiasis
    • CDC Yellow Book 2024: health information for international travel - amebiasis
    More Guidelines
  • Patient information

    Disenteria amebiana: prevenção

    Diarreia em crianças

    More Patient information
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