Entamoeba polecki infection in a Southeast Asian refugee in Japan

We report the first human case of Entamoeba polecki infection found in Japan. Cysts of E. histolytica-like amoeba were detected in a stool sample from a female Cambodian refugee. The cysts were morphologically investigated after stained by the modified Kohn's method. The amoeba was identified as E. polecki by the findings that the cyst had frequently an inclusion mass, usually one or very rarely two nuclei, frequently a darkly stained nucleus, and some other characteristics. This protozoan parasite is essentially non-pathogenic to humans, but it is morphologically similar to and often confused with E. histolytica, a pathogenic species. Therefore, it is very important in laboratory diagnosis to differentiate the former from the latter.