Characteristic of amebiasis is: March 2005

Ans. C: Flask shaped ulcer Amebic Colitis often mimics other enteric infections. Manifestations may include abdominal pain, dysentery, bloody/mucoid stools, diarrhea, colonic lesions/perforations, ameboma (resulting from intraluminal granulation of tissue), toxic megacolon, peritonitis, amebic appendicitis and cecitis, cutaneous amebiasis, rectovaginal amebic cutis, hemorrhage, and rectovesicular fistulas. Unlike bacterial dysentery, amebic colitis has a gradual onset that ranges from 1 to several weeks of varied symptoms, including fever in a minority of cases. It is often accompanied by weight loss. Colonic lesions may manifest as thickening of the mucosal wall, flask-shaped ulcerations, or necrosis of the intestinal wall depending on the degree of invasion.