What Causes an Amebic Liver Abscess?

The Facts

Once the parasite E. histolytica enters the body, usually through the mouth, it can travel via the bloodstream from the intestines to the liver, where it creates the abscess, the NIH says. Amebic liver abscess is also known as hepatic amebiasis and extrainstenstinal amebiasis.

Infection by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica can occur worldwide but is most common in areas with crowded living conditions and poor sanitation practices, the NIH reports. Amebic liver abscess is most common in tropical areas of such countries as Africa, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and India.

Amebic liver abscess is rare in the United States and is almost exclusively found there in those who have traveled outside of the country within five months prior to symptoms surfacing, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms almost always include a fever and may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, chills, joint pain, sweating, weight loss or a loss of appetite, NIH reports, and it suggests those experiencing symptoms after travel to a high-risk area should contact a doctor for proper diagnosis.

The parasite infection responsible for this condition occurs by consuming food contaminated by feces, eating produce in areas where human waste is used as fertilizer and through person to person contact with someone who has been previously infected, according to the CDC. Other risk factors that may increase one's likelihood of infection are malnutrition, pregnancy, steroid use, old age, cancer and homosexuality in males because the parasite can be transmitted sexually. In order to reduce the risk of infection, the CDC advises people in the areas prone to the parasite to drink purified water and avoid eating raw vegetables or fruit peeled by others.

Amebic liver abscess can be fatal, and prompt diagnosis and treatment by a medical professional is required, the CDC says. An amebic liver abscess may rupture and spread the infection into the abdominal cavity and other organs if it is not treated. This infection can eventually spread to the brain and cause death. In fact, as of September 2000, Entamoeba histolytica infection is the third leading cause of death due to parasites in the world, according to a report by Viroj Wiwanitkit, a member of the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.