Hepatomegaly in Human and Experimental Amebic Colitis

Abstract

Summary The average weight of the liver relative to body weight in 7 subjects who died with active amebic colitis and without evident concomitant hepatic disease was slightly higher than that of normal subjects of equivalent age. Similarly the average relative weight of the liver in 18 guinea pigs with experimentally induced amebic colitis was higher than in 12 control noninfected animals. The hepatomegaly was more pronounced in the experimental animals than in the human subjects. The character of the amebic colitis was more acute in the guinea pigs. Histologic studies failed to reveal hepatic changes attributable to the colonic amebic infection, nor did it provide an explanation for the hepatomegaly.