Endamoeba histolytica

9.5

A tiny parasite that lives in the human gut and causes severe diarrhea

noun
/ˌɛndəˈmiːbə hɪstəˈlɪtɪkə/

Specialized

: Endamoeba histolytica

Doctors commonly test for Endamoeba histolytica when patients show symptoms of severe gastrointestinal distress.

Examples

Proper sanitation helps prevent the spread of Endamoeba histolytica and the illnesses it causes.
Infection with Endamoeba histolytica can lead to severe diarrhea.
Endamoeba histolytica infection is a major cause of diarrhea in developing countries.
Endamoeba histolytica is a common cause of amebic dysentery.
Endamoeba histolytica infection is a major cause of diarrhea in developing countries.
Doctors commonly test for Endamoeba histolytica when patients show symptoms of severe gastrointestinal distress.
Proper sanitation helps prevent the spread of Endamoeba histolytica and the illnesses it causes.

Surface Forms

Endamoeba histolytica singular

Morphology

Endamoeba + histolytica

This is a Latin binomial combining 'Endamoeba' (a parasitic amoeba genus) with the species epithet 'histolytica', which etymologically suggests 'tissue-destroying' (histo- + -lytic). If a learner knows these medical/Latin roots they can infer a pathogenic amoeba causing tissue damage (and thus disease), but 'histolytica' is not a regular English word and most B1 learners will not know the Latin roots, so the meaning is only partially predictable.

Etymology

The name Endamoeba histolytica comes from old Greek parts: endo- means 'inside', amoeba means a tiny changing cell, and histo- plus -lytica means 'tissue breaking'. So the name makes a clear picture of a tiny cell living 'inside' the body that can 'break' tissue, which explains why this parasite causes serious intestinal illness.