Cultivation of Entamoeba Histolytica From a Hepatic Amoebic Abscess.

Abstract

Through the employment of Locke egg-serum medium for the culture of Entamoeba histolytica as used by Boeck and Drbohlav 1 and somewhat augmented by Dobell and Laidlaw, 2 the cultivation of this protozoa has now become of very practical service. Nearly all such isolations have been recovered from the intestinal tract of man. In many of the reported instances there exists considerable doubt as to the species of the cultivated amoeba. There is no question, however, that such microorganisms of the histolytica type have been cultivated, as many of the reports are by workers who are recognized authorities in this field and therefore well versed in the biological and morphological features recognized as differential and diagnostic for such species. Dobell 3 reports the cultivation of amoeba from different types of monkeys which he indicates are not to be differentiated from Entamoeba histolytica of man. This is of much importance in the consideration of the experimental transmission of this infection to such types of anthropoid animals.

The opportunity was recently presented of investigating a very typical instance of amoebic dysentery in man with a complicating amoebic abscess of the liver. At operation a specimen of pus-like material was removed from the hepatic lesion. Cultures and smear preparations of this specimen were made for ordinary bacteria and found negative. The subject died 24 hours after the operation and at autopsy the liver showed extensive destruction or so-called abscess formation. Examination of the fresh material scraped from the necrotic walls revealed many actively motile amoeba. Cultures of such material were prepared in Dobell's modification of the Boeck-Drbohlav medium and the amoeba grew freely in certain of the tubes. The culture has been carried for 5 months representing approximately 30 generations.