355 SEVERE AMEBIASIS IN EARLY INFANCY: A REPORT OF 3 CASES ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH PREVALENCE RATES AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS

Abstract

Two infants died with extraintestinal amebiasis, one on March 23, 1976 in Ga. and the other on July 1, 1976 in S.C. One infant in Ca. recovered after a long illness. Case 1: A 7-wk-old male infant in suburban Atlanta died of amebic peritonitis and a liver abcess. Stool samples from 17 of 19 family members revealed that 4 (24%) were infected with Entamoeba histolytica. Serospecimens from all 19 family members revealed that 9 (47%) had elevated indirect hemagglutination (IHA) titers to E. histolytica. Case 2: An 8-wk-old male infant in S.C. died with amebic colitis, peritonitis and liver abcess. Of 34 extended family members. 10 (32%) had elevated titers by IHA and 6 (23%) of 26 had E. histolytica organisms on stool examination. Case 3: A 12-wk-old female infant in suburban Los Angeles developed amebic colitis, peritonitis and a hepatic abcess, but recovered following surgery and chemotherapy. Two (40%) of 5 family members were infected with amoebae on stool examination. No history of travel or job exposure to sources of amoebae could be elicited from the families and environmental studies revealed no infective sources. Thus, the source and route of spread of E. histolytica within these 3 families could not be traced; however, person-to-person transmission was suspected. Of significance is that all 3 mothers were passing E. histolytica organisms and that the infection in these otherwise healthy infants was severe.