[Antiamebic effect of metronidazole proved in a study conducted in Cienfuegos province].

Three studies were conducted in Cienfuegos province to prove that intestinal amebiasis in Cuba could be an overestimated health problem. The first two studies showed two components of this overestimation: microscopical overdiagnosis and lack of knowledge about Entamoeba dispar, a non-pathogenic species, in most cases in which microscopical examination was correct. This paper reported the third study that showed the third component: the wrong belief that Entamoeba histolytica is resistant to metronidazole. Thirty-five individuals infected with one or both species of E-histolytica-E. dispar combination were given metronidazole at a dose of 250 mg three times daily for 10 days. Stool samples taken immediately after the treatment were tested by ENZYMEBA to detect one or both species and by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction procedure to determine the existing species. The results of these assays revealed that E. histolytica infection disappeared in all the cases, therefore, we may conclude that in Cienfuegos province and probably in the rest of the country, metronidazol remains an effective drug in the treatment of intestinal amebiasis