I ve heard plenty of home remidies and old wives tales
about amebas. I even got very sick last year in Guate from
pharmacuticals and had to get a quick flight back to the
states.
My Question is: From a medically educated person, what are
amebas, are they just everywhere in Guate,or are they only
present when veggies have been irigated with contaminated
water?
Would it be safe to eat raw lettuce theoretically & in real
life if the lettuce was never irrigated but relied only on
rain?
Thanks
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In theory you are correct. However, when it rains drainage
ditches can back up and flood the field. The drainage ditches
can be contaminated with sewage from local farms and
villages. Given the prevalence of intestinal problems and
hepatitis best to wash all veggies in treated water. Also the
people picking and handling your produce probably don't have
access to sanitary facilities. I've broken my own rules many
times. Gotten very sick from doing so on more than one
occasion.
I've lived in Guatemala for years and learned the hard way.
If you buy the lettuce at the supermarket, the brands that
are also exported to the US market you are safe. These you
don't even have to wash. Also, there are certain products
we've stopped eating: leafy vegetables of unknown origin
and unfortunately, strawberries. It seems that the iodine
or whatever other disinfectant you have can't get into all
the tiny places where the amoebas are. Also, the biggest
thing to avoid is street food. Simply forget that it
exists. Not only could you get amoebas, but also hepatitis,
cholera or typhoid. Remember.... no street food.
Thanks for the tips but I would still like to here from
someone who is a doc or microbiologist.
Also I would like to here experiences of ones living in
Guate especially around the lake who garden.
Thanks
Amoebic dysentery is an illness caused by infection with a
microscopic parasite called Entamoeba histolyica. It is
transmitted person-to-person when fecal material from an
infected individual contaminates the food or water that
another person ingests. It can also be transmitted by sexual
contact with an infected person. White infected individuals
are the only reservoir for the parasite, it can survive in
sewage long enough to be picked up by others. The most
common symptom is diarrhea and stomach pain, but in severe
cases, it can cause liver damage. Once a person has had
amebiasis, it is generally more difficult to contract it
again because of the body's immune response, but not
impossible. The best way to avoid it is by washing your
hands thoroughly before preparing food and avoiding
untreated drinking water or foods prepared in such water.
Also avoid foods that may be prepared by unsanitary
individuals. Hope this helps.
Justin - B.S.(biology), Medical Student
CORRECTION - it should read "while infected individuals",
not "white infected individuals".
Justin
The amoeba you are referring to is Entamoeba histolytica
which is found worldwide and is transmitted through fecal-
oral contact. Fruits and vegetables can be contaminated
through soil or water, or via a contaminated person's hands
(e.g. a farm worker who might have less than perfect
hygiene.) The trophozoite form lives in the small
intestine and causes illness. Cysts are also found in the
intestines, are transmitted in the stool, and are passed on
from person to person. The cysts can be quite hardy and
although boiling or iodination is generally effective in
disinfecting contaminated water, chlorination is not
reliably so. Thus the adage, "boil it, peel it, cook it or
forget it." It is the third or fourth leading cause of
death due to parasites worldwide, and complications include
liver abscess. Metronidazole (Flagyl) is generally
effective for acute colitis and liver abscesses. If
lettuce growing in uncontaminated soil is irrigated with
pure rainwater and not fertilized by amoeba-filled manure,
and is subsequently handled by disease-free workers with
scrupulous hygiene and transported in amoeba-free
containers and displayed in markets that are free of
amoeba, then yes it should be safe to eat raw lettuce.
However, in developing countries it is near impossible to
guarantee that the above precautions have been taken.
Either take along some Flagyl or don't eat raw lettuce.
Doctor J,
Thank you for the info.
Is it your opinion then that it is in a practical way to
raise ameoba free veggies in Guate? Even if a person were
to raise there own veggies?
Are ameobas of the same variety prevalent in the states and
if so why do we not worry about them here?
Every one I have met in Guate.who cares about their health
have been almost paranoid about ameobas. Is such paranoia
warented?
Thanks
The first sentence of the last add on should have read.Is
it your opinion then that it is ,in a practical way,
inpossible to raise ameoba free veggies in Guate.?
It's possible to grow amoeba-free veggies but there is no
practical way for you to know if there is any contamination
at any step of the process. The same amoebas exist in the
US but are less prevalent (mostly because of better
sanitation), although there is a higher prevalence in gay
men. The infection is treatable and if caught early there
should be no complications such as liver abscesses.
Concern is appropriate but "paranoia" is not. Keep in
mind, however that in developing countries, access to
medical care and clean water are often limited. Therefore
infections such as amoebiasis can be serious and even
deadly. My opinion: if you absolutely must eat raw
vegetables that you can't peel, then make sure to have
Flagyl and access to purified water (to prevent
dehydration.)
When I was a 6-year old girl living just outside New Orleans
nearly 50 years ago, I had amoebiasis. It nearly killed me
simply because no one who treated me knew what to look for.
By the time an elderly pediatrician suggested I go to a
specialist in tropical medicine, I was practically in a
comma and had severe liver damage. I do not recall ever
having diarrhea, which most people take as a sure sign of
all kinds of unspeakable tropical diseases. I contracted
it again when I was in high school, but my mother took me
immediately to the same specialist as soon as she noticed
me simply wasting away. The weight loss and lack of energy
was always a good clue. The doctor who treated me was a
member of the United Fruit family which once owned most of
the banana importation business, New orleans was a major
port, and he had learned about how to treat the disease to
help his family keep their plantation workers in the best
possible health. People came from all over the US to his
office. Some even brought stool specimens taped onto pages
of photo albums so that he could examine for signs of the
disease!! The Fleets enemas and the proctoscopic exams
were for a 6-year old girl even worse than the disease. I
now live in southern mexico, eat and drink the same things
my neighbors do, and simply hope for the best. As long as
I feel healthy I continue to eat everything wonderful from
my village, but am very personally aware that if anything
does not feel right I should go for medical help ASAP.
You're correct, I'm not an MD but I did study microbiology
as well as mycology. I could have hauled out my textbook
also, to give you a technical definition but my "OJT" is
much more accurate than any doctor could ever give you,
(except one who's had to live with a long term case of it).
Just stay away from the street food and you'll be pretty
safe. I finally found a cure after too many times with
Flagyl - I heard that Jacaranda blossom tea was a cure for
amoebas. I tried a very strong dose and practically killed
myself with the dry mouth and disorientation associated
with the side effects of Flagyl, but after six years I am
free of them and haven't gotten it again although I eat
local lettuce every day, unwashed but of known origin.