A number of papers on the clinical investigation of Entamoeba histolytica (E.h) infection has been reported in Korea, but the infection rate differed according to the author, material and the time the study was undertaken.
It was estimated that the rate of infection by E.h. was roughly 10% of the total population, in 1967, by the Korean Society of Parasitology.
Most of the reports covered adult cases and those for infants and children have been very few.
During the period from March to October 1970, the auther conducted a clinical study including epidemiological evaluation of the infection of E.h in infants and children the material was taken from 1959 children at some primary and middle schools in Pusan and 446 children from 4 orphanages in Pusan city. Material was also obtained from 62 cases of poor-class infants and children (22 infants and 40 under-5-year children) by visiting their homes to see the livling conditions and to find a source of infection in the household, if possible.
Result
1) The rate of intestinal protozoan infection in the total school children was 21.9%. Of these, 12.1% were found in kindergarten children (the lowest rate),16.8% in primary school children, 21.3% in middle school children and 32.5% in primary school children at the periphery of the city (the highest rate).
Infection rate of E.h. was 2.6% Of these , no E.h. cyst was found from children of kindergarden 1.4% from primary school, 2.2% from middle school and 5.4% from primary schools in the peripheral zone. Infection by E.coli was found in 12.5% and by G. lamblia in 7.8%
2) Protozoan infection in the orphanages, was found in average 44.2% of these children and ranged from 29,3% to 53.6% according to the different conditions of the orphanages. The average infection rate by E.h. was 9.1% and ranged from 2.3% to 12.4% according to conditions. These different rates were due to differing poor sanitory condition unboiled drinking water and carrier states in child caring nurses. Also the rates was some what influenced by the early detection and isolation of symptomatic cases on their admission to the orphanage.
3) For 63 infants and children with amebic dysentery, home visiting and household examination was done for epidemiological evalustien. Of the major causes of amebic infection, living condition and environmental sanitation, unreasonable food intake and water contamination were the chif factors. the nursing mothers were also important as the source of infection. The rate of protozoan infection in the household was found to be 46.2% on the mothers. 34.9% on the fathers and 38.3% on the siblings. That of E.h. infection was 17.3% on the mothers 7.4% on the fathers and 9.0% on the siblings. The infection rate of mothers were comparatively high and most of these asymptomatic carriers of E.h. cyst.
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