''Iodamoeba buetschlii'' is a species of

amoeba An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; plural ''am(o)ebas'' or ''am(o)ebae'' ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of Cell (biology), cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and ret ...

. It gets its name from its appearance when stained with

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

. Named for

Otto Bütschli Johann Adam Otto Bütschli (3 May 1848 – 2 February 1920) was a German zoologist and professor at the University of Heidelberg. He specialized in invertebrates and insect development. Many of the groups of protists were first recognized by him. ...

by Prowazek in 1912, ''Iodamoeba buetschlii'' is a nonpathogenic parasitic ameba, commonly found in the large intestines of people, pigs and other mammals. The distribution of ''I. buetschlii'' is worldwide. Most likely to be the original host, pigs are often targeted with ''I. buetschlii''. ''I. buetschlii'' is identified as a non-pathogenic parasite. Often, this parasite is mistaken as a pathogenic parasite because non-pathogenic and pathogenic parasites have the same characteristics. In terms of illnesses, humans have a low prevalence of ''I. buetschlii'' (4-8%). ''I. buetschlii'' is an indicator of oral-fecal contamination and humans may experience diarrhea.

Trophozoite

The

trophozoite A trophozoite (G. ''trope'', nourishment + ''zoon'', animal) is the activated, feeding stage in the life cycle of certain protozoa such as malaria-causing ''Plasmodium falciparum'' and those of the '' Giardia'' group. (The complement of the trophozo ...

s are 9–14 micrometres in diameter. Trophozoites are one of the two forms of ''I. buetschlii''. This form has a pseudopodia for locomotion. The pseudopodia is short and blunt. It moves in a slow manner. The trophozoite has a single nucleus, prominent for nuclear endosome and many cytoplasmic vacuoles. The ectoplasm and the granular endoplasm are often hard to distinguish. The nucleus is fairly large and vesicular, containing a large endosome, surrounding by light staining granules about midway between it and the nuclear membrane. Achromatic strands stretch between the endosome and nuclear membrane without any peripheral granules. Food vacuoles are commonly filled with bacteria and yeast. Trophozoites are often identified by a stool smear, found in loose stools.

Cyst

The

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and cell division, division compared with the nearby Biological tissue, tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of Cell (biology), cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which ...

s are 8–10 micrometres in diameter, with a thick wall and a large

glycogen Glycogen is a multibranched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage in animals, fungi, and bacteria. The polysaccharide structure represents the main storage form of glucose in the body. Glycogen functions as one o ...

vacuole A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in plant and fungal cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic mo ...

that stains darkly with iodine. Usually harmless, it may cause

amebiasis Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by a parasitic amoeba ''Entamoeba histolytica''. Amoebiasis can be present with no, mild, or severe symptoms. Symptoms may include lethargy, loss of weight, colonic ulc ...

in immunologically compromised individuals. As the second form of ''I. butschlii'', cysts have an oval shaped- single nucleus with a prominent nuclear endosome. This form is also large, single, glycogen-filled vacuole called iodinophilous vacuole (glycogen stains with iodine). Cysts are the infective stage of ''I. buetschlii''. Unlike trophozoites, cysts are often found in formed stools.

Lifecycle

trophozoite in cecum & colon-->cyst in feces- ''ingested''-->trophozoite in cecum & colon

Treatment

In a research study, amebas were seen in stool samples of a patient and identified as ''I. buetschlii''. The patient was treated with

dehydroemetine Dehydroemetine is a synthetically produced antiprotozoal agent similar to emetine in its anti-amoebic properties and structure (they differ only in a double bond next to the ethyl substituent), but it produces fewer side effects. In the United Sta ...

and

chloroquine Chloroquine is a medication primarily used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to its effects. Certain types of malaria, resistant strains, and complicated cases typically require different or additional medi ...

. After treatment they noticed the patient's

complement fixation The complement fixation test is an immunological medical test that can be used to detect the presence of either specific antibody or specific antigen in a patient's serum, based on whether complement fixation occurs. It was widely used to diagnos ...

titer decreased to 1:2 in a serum sample, obtained two months later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iodamoeba buetschlii Amoebozoa genera