We are glad to announce that Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI) will be conducting a special colloquium on “Pathogenesis of Amoebiasis: New Insights and Escalating dangers” on 09 June 2023, 12 noon at Seminar Hall, Narendrapur Campus.
Speaker : Dipak Manna, Ramalingaswami Fellow/Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, School of Biological Sciences
Co-ordinator: Abhijit Chakrabarti
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica causes an estimated 50 million cases of invasive disease annually, is the second leading parasitic cause of death worldwide, and has been classified as a Class-B agent of concern for bioterrorism. Over 150 years after its first detection, amoebiasis remains a major health problem in developing countries.
The most common manifestations of amebic infection are diarrhea and liver abscesses. The parasite’s life cycle involves interconversion between trophozoite and cyst stages. Trophozoites cause invasive disease and cysts are responsible for disease transmission. This interconversion, which is essential for both pathogenesis and propagation, is poorly understood. Cyst conversion in the laboratory using E. invadens as a model system has allowed the generation of methods for dissecting developmental processes in this organism.
In this presentation I will emphasize on the features of Entamoeba that makes it unique from other parasites. I will give an overview on host-amoeba interaction and highlight the stage conversion which is important for pathogenesis and disease transmission. Since only the cyst form can be transmitted from one host to another, blocking encystation would prevent new infections, making the encystation pathway an attractive target for the development of new drugs.
Not only Entamoeba, there is a dark side of Amoeba which even more scary are the free-living amoebae (FLA) such as Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba castellanii, and Balamuthia mandrillaris which are deadly human pathogens as they can infect our CNS (Central Nervus System) and there is no such drug available to treat these pathogens. I will briefly address the pathogenesis of free-living amoebae and its escalating concern.