Knowing the life cycle is important in understanding the modes of infection and the pathophysiology of the organism. Most of the life cycles shown in this course will be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
This life cycle points out a number of essential features of E. histolytica:
- E. histolytica exists in both a trophozoite stage, the motile (amoeboid) feeding stage, and a cyst (protective, resistant, and infective) stage.
- E. histolytica can cause disease both in the large intestines and can disseminate to other organs.
