Fatal intestinal amoebiasis

The clinical presentation of amoebic colitis are diverse. Amoebiasis is comparatively rare in the U.K. and, unless the clinician is aware of the condition, wrong diagnosis often leads to delay in appropriate treatment resulting in high mortality. Diagnosis rests on clinical suspicion, stool examination, sigmoidoscopy with rectal biopsy and serological tests. Amoebiasis is readily treatable and death from it should be very rare.