Article Text
Abstract
Cutaneous amebiasis is a rare clinical entity caused by the invasive protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica that can be readily diagnosed with skin biopsy if suspected. It presents as a rapidly progressive and destructive ulceration with necrosis. A man in his 40s with metastatic rectal cancer who underwent palliative abdominal perineal resection with end colostomy in his left lower quadrant and on systemic chemotherapy developed progressive breakdown of his peristomal skin unresponsive to antibiotics that was then diagnosed to be cutaneous amebiasis. It is important to be aware of cutaneous amebiasis and include it in the differential diagnosis when peristomal wounds do not respond to treatment.
- Infection (gastroenterology)
- Infectious diseases
- Gastrointestinal surgery
- General surgery
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Footnotes
Twitter @Debra_Lai
Contributors DL wrote the manuscript with review and editing from AB. BKK provided the pathology slide images.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.