VIII. 



THE AMOEBA OF THE GENITO-URINARY TRACT. 



IN 1883 Baelz described an amoeba occurring in 

 bloody urine which measured from 23 to 50 microns 

 in diameter and was actively motile, the pseudopodia 

 being short and blunt. The cytoplasm of this 

 organism was granular in appearance and the para- 

 site was phagocytic for red blood corpuscles. En- 

 cysted forms were also observed. 



To this organism the name Entamceba urogenitalis 

 has been given and Jiirgens, Posner, and Kartulis 

 have described similar amoebae occurring in the urine. 

 It is still undecided whether this organism is entitled 

 to specific rank, most authorities believing that the 

 amoebae described by these authors were either Enta- 

 mceba histolytica or Entamceba tetragena. There is 

 no reason why any of the species occurring in the 

 intestine should not occasionally be found in the urine, 

 reaching it through fistulas between the bladder and 

 intestine, which may occur in cases of amoebic dysen- 

 tery, or intestinal amoebae might reach the kidney or 

 bladder through the surrounding tissues or through 

 the blood stream. I have observed one instance of 

 infection of the bladder with Entamceba histolytica, 

 autopsy showing a minute fistula between the 

 ulcerated intestine and the bladder. 



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