Intestinal amoebiasis and pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in an endemic region: Three case reports.

What To Know

This article presents three pediatric case reports from an endemic region where stool microscopy identified Entamoeba histolytica in children with ulcerative colitis who presented with abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, and in one case fever.

Initial treatment with metronidazole produced only transient improvement and two patients who were previously in remission later required escalation of immunosuppression; one child initially treated with corticosteroids elsewhere did not respond until referred.

These cases illustrate that screening for amoebiasis (stool testing) should be considered when children with UC present with suspected flare in endemic areas to help distinguish infection from immune-mediated disease activity and to guide appropriate use of antiparasitic therapy versus immunosuppression.