Dr. Murai Éva - Gubányi András szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 28. (Budapest, 1995)

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS Entamoeba histolytica infestations in county Nógrád (Hungary) Sándor KlS Municipal Institute of State Public Health and Medical Officer's Service, Department of Parasitology, H-3I0J Salgótarján, Bem u. 7, Hungary By the present day the annual average incidence of infections caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica in humans has declined below 1%. The number of cases per year has decreased from 1,000 to less than 500. Between 1968 and 1994, nearly 112 thousand fàecal examinations were carried out in the parasitological laboratory of county Nógrád. These examinations demonstrated entamoebosis in 119 persons The methods comprised the examination of physiological and alkaline smear preparations and cultivation on a diphasic culture medium. Among the positive reactors, 29 persons (24%) were asymptomatic cyst excretors. Of the clinical symptoms typical of entamoebosis, dysentery (blood-containing stools) occurred in 27 patients and colitis was found in 28 persons (combined incidence: 46%). Abdominal complaints occurred in 14, appendicitis in 8, hepatic dysfunction in 7, cholangitis in 6 and anaemia in 2 patients (total incidence: 30%). In the majority of cases the treatment of infected patients with KLION proved to be successful. The 119 entamoebosis cases diagnosed in county Nógrád occurred in a total of 43 localities. As regards the distribution of patients by occupation, the patient material included 42 schoolchildren and 12 teachers (these two occupations represented 49% of the patients), 16 housewives, 15 agricultural cooperative workers, 10 pensioners, 8 employees, 3 health-service workers, 3 miners, 2 soldiers, and 2 unemployed persons. The average age of the patients was 25.5 years (the youngest patient was 1 and the oldest 70 years old). The changes and increase in the annual incidence of entamoebosis cases in county Fig. 1. Annual incidence of entamoebosis caused by Entamoeba histolytica (A = Hungary, B = county Nógrád)