Purpose of review: Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that causes amebiasis, which remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. E. histolytica causes tissue destruction which leads to clinical disease. This review outlines some of the recent advances that have furthered our understanding of the processes that lead to the tissue damage caused by E. histolytica.
Recent findings: Recent studies have identified new mechanisms involved in E. histolytica-induced tissue damage. These include (i) new form of contact-dependent killing called trogocytosis; (ii) parasite-produced cytokine, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, that contributes to inflammation; (iii) exploitation of host immune response to promote invasion; and (iv) the contribution of the gut microbiome to clinical disease.
Summary: Targeting these mechanisms that result in tissue injury should be a focus of future research for the development of improved preventive and therapeutic strategies for amebiasis.
Keywords: Amebiasis; E. histolytica macrophage migration inhibitory factor; Invasion; Microbiome; Trogocytosis.