Improved method of producing amoebic liver abscesses in hamsters for screening of systemically active amoebicides.

An improved method of producing hepatic amoebiasis in hamsters has been developed. A serially liver-passaged strain of Entamoeba histolytica from experimentally-infected hamsters was used for infection. Small pieces from the infected liver were examined for the presence of amoebae and contained approximately 20,000 active trophozoites per piece. Such liver pieces, when used as an inoculum, produced infection in all of the animals. The method has been successfully employed for screening of known amoebicides such as emetine, dehydroemetine, metronidazole, tinidazole, chloroquine, mepacrine, amodiaquine and ambilhar.