About 10% of the world’s population is infected with E. histolytica, and 10% of those infected go on to develop symptoms of the disease. Although the numbers may appear small, amoebiasis is actually the second leading parasitic disease worldwide. Although prevalence of the disease is worldwide, amoebiasis is most common in people in developing countries where there is poor sanitation and higher rates of contamination of food and water.
The poor in developing countries encounter amoebiasis on a daily basis [3]. In the United States, amoebiasis is most often found in immigrants from developing countries. For instance, in New York, the comparatively higher rates of immigration lead to about 500 cases reported each year [12]. As well, people who have traveled to developing countries or who live in places of poor sanitation have a higher chance of getting infected. Men engaged in homosexual intercourse can also become infected, but they generally do not develop symptoms. Although there are variations in prevalence of the disease from country to country, amoebiasis occurance is generally associated with places of poor sanitation, where the E. histolytica cysts can be transmitted from person to person [3]—mainly, high incidences are in tropical countries like India, Mexico, Central and South America [11].