Abstract
In recent years, the number of patients with amebic colitis, who are homosexual males or inmates of mental retardation facilities in many cases, have been increasing gradually. Although ameba detection in feces or serum antibody tests are currently used for diagnosis, there are some problems, namely, feces provide poor detection sensitivity and serum antibody tests may not always reflect the current infection status. We, therefore, performed direct microscopy on biopsy tissues by colonoscopy to investigate its usefulness for the diagnosis of amebic colitis. From June 2012 to April 2013, colonoscopies were carried out and biopsy tissues were harvested from patients who have lesions with ulcers or white mosses in the colon. Three specimens with amoeboid trophozoites were detected in six colonoscopies during the study period. While pathological examinations and serum antibody tests were also performed simultaneously, there were some discrepancies among their outcomes. Three patients judged positive were finally diagnosed as having amebic colitis and the treatments were started immediately. The results of direct microscopy on biopsy tissues obtained by colonoscopy were all available within 30 min. In conclusion, direct microscopy on biopsy tissues is effective for diagnosing amebic colitis in a general laboratory.
