Immunopathology of Entamoeba histolytica infections

Entamoeba histolytica infects almost 10% of the world's population and results in about 100 000 deaths annually(1). Relatively little information is available concerning the immune response and the immunopathology elicited by this parasite, probably due in part to the lack of a truly appropriate animal model(2-4). However, there has been some progress - particularly concerning the interaction of this parasite with cells of the immune system(5,6). This review summarizes the salient features of the cellular immune response and immunopathology, largely from in vitro studies and studies using the gerbil model for invasive amoebiasis(7,8). Overall, the results suggest that invasive amoebtasis induces profound immune dysfunction both at the effector level of macrophages and on their accessory cell potential.