Hunting Trophozoites: A Rare Case of Amebiasis in an Infant

The authors present a case of neonatal amebiasis in a 5-month-old girl who exhibited symptoms including vomiting, refusal to feed, abdominal distension, and mucoid, bloody stools. Sigmoidoscopy revealed multiple aphthous ulcers, and a colonic biopsy was submitted with clinical suspicion of eosinophilic colitis. The histologic examination of the biopsy, however, confirmed the diagnosis of amebic colitis through identification of trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica. The infant, who was likely infected by her caregiver or mother, was successfully treated with intravenous metronidazole. This report aims to raise awareness about the possibility of amebiasis in infants, particularly in endemic regions; thus, it should be kept as a differential in cases presenting with such symptoms.