Stephen Kayes says:
-But as regards the disease caused by Entamoeba, liver abscess
-from this organism is far less common than is amebic hepatitis which is
-caused by a toxin released from the parasite which is then transported to
-the liver by the hepatic portal system.
Whoa! Where did you get this from? Amebic hepatitis does not exist as
a separate entity - signs/symptoms previously called amebic hepatitis
(hepatomegaly, fever, and tenderness) are indicative of an early amebic
liver abscess. Liver abscess is reported to occur in about 10% of
patients with invasive disease.
As far as the rest goes, I guess it is just a matter of perspective. I
think almost anywhere in the blood stream or organs of the host would
provide a fairly rich source of nutrients for a parasite. I don't doubt
that selection helped determine where parasites reside in their hosts,
but I am not convinced that nutritional considerations were the major
driving force.
As you say, a dialogue on site selection by parasites would be
most interesting...
Graham (entamoebologist)
___________________________
C. Graham Clark, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases,
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892-0425, USA
Tel: 301-496-4740
FAX: 301-402-4941
e-mail: gclark at nih.gov
