ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2026
Evaluation of intestinal immune responses to Entamoeba dispar using the first domestic clinical isolate in Japan.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEntamoeba dispar is a non-pathogenic sibling species of Entamoeba histolytica, yet the mechanisms that enable E. dispar to persist in the intestine without causing disease remain poorly understood. Experimental models for dissecting intestinal immune responses to E. dispar have been limited. In Japan and other East Asian countries, E. histolytica infection is relatively common among men who have sex with men, whereas E. dispar infection has rarely been identified. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe report the first domestically acquired and culture-established E. dispar infection in Japan. A clinical strain, NA442, was isolated from fecal cysts of an HIV-positive patient without gastrointestinal symptoms and was maintained in stable monoxenic culture with Pseudomonas putida. Phylogenetic and tRNA-linked STR analyses confirmed the species identity and revealed genetic similarity to a Thailand-derived genotype. Using NA442, we established a murine cecal infection model to characterize host immune responses. Infection induced detectable secretion of lipocalin-2 in stool, indicating epithelial stress; however, CXCL-1 and myeloperoxidase levels in cecal tissue remained at baseline, and no neutrophil infiltration or tissue destruction was observed. NA442 colonized the murine cecum for up to three weeks but elicited only mild epithelial thickening without the hallmark inflammatory signatures associated with E. histolytica. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides the first in vivo evidence that E. dispar colonization triggers limited mucosal inflammation despite successful short-term persistence in the intestine. The identification of NA442 as the first domestic E. dispar case in Japan suggests the parasite may circulate unnoticed within the population. The NA442 strain establishes a valuable experimental tool for comparative studies of pathogenic versus non-pathogenic Entamoeba species and contributes to understanding the determinants of intestinal virulence and host immune modulation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.