PENILE ULCER CAUSED BY ENDAMEBA HISTOLYTICA

Preclinical and clinical studies of Endameba histolytica infection are well known to the medical profession and have served materially in its proper prophylaxis and therapeutic control. While the pathology of this clinical entity has received considerable attention, infection of the penis by the Endameba histolytica organism is practically unknown. The case reported here is unusual not only because of its rarity but because of the difficulties in diagnosis and prompt response to specific therapy. Only 1 case of a similar nature has been reported in the literature. Amebiasis occurs quite commonly in the southern United States. Our patient was a native of Florida. Infection takes place essentially by way of the mouth. The active vegetative endamebas live in the tissues of the intestinal wall, where they ingest blood corpuscles and multiply by division. In the primary amebic lesions the amebas make their way into the follicles of the large intestine,