Microscopic view of Entamoeba moshovskii trophozoites (a) and cysts (b). Credit: ICMR-NICED, Kolkata
A three-year surveillance study reveals the presence of a previously unreported amoeba pathogen in children and adults in Kolkata1. The pathogen, known as Entamoeba moshkovskii, triggers amoebiasis, a disease that affects the intestines.
Researchers identified a genetic marker in this pathogen that could potentially be used to distinguish it from other Entamoeba species in clinical samples.
Since its first diagnosis in Moscow in 1941, the parasite has been detected in other countries. But, India lacks data on this parasite. To determine its prevalence in India, the scientists collected more than 6000 clinical samples from two Kolkata-based hospitals and screened them using microscopic and molecular tools.
The team, which included researchers at the ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata, found that 3.12% of the samples were infected with E. moshkovskii. The number of cysts, the resistant and transmittable form of the parasite, was smaller than other Entamoeba species. Of the 189 positive samples, only 9% showed the presence of trophozoites, the motile form of the parasite. The bug’s infection rate was highest among children between 5 and 12 years, and the lowest among adults between 19 and 29 years. The parasite’s prevalence was higher than that of Entamoeba histolytica and it peaked during the post-fall and summer season.
A few changes in single DNA bases in a specific gene might have increased the fitness of the parasite, allowing it to adapt to the gut environment, the researchers note.
