Seroconversion to Entamoeba histolytica among short-term travelers to Mexico

Paired serum samples were evaluated for the presence of antibodies to Entamoeba histolytica in 326 healthy college students from the United States who lived in Guadalajara, Mexico, for an average of four weeks. One hundred eighty of these students had an enteric illness develop, but no stool test results were positive for ameba. An indirect hemagglutination assay was the serologic method used, and no seroconversion was demonstrates. This finding confirms the belief that amebiasis is a rare cause of diarrhea among short-term travelers to Mexico.