A child with intestinal amebiasis may complain of abdominal pain that begins gradually. There may also be diarrhea that is blood-stained or filled with mucus. The child may have eight to 12 bowel movements each day, and he may experience a constant nagging, irritating feeling that he needs to move his bowels. There is fever about one third of the time. In rare cases, amebiasis causes an amebic dysentery , with sudden symptoms of fever, chills, and severe diarrhea.
Symptoms can last from a few days to several weeks.
When amoebas spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, they can cause pockets of infection and pus in many different organs. The Nemours Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to children's health and is the largest physician practice delivering subspecialty pediatric care in the United States. Inc. All rights reserved. KidsHealth and KidsHealth.org are Service Marks of The Nemours Foundation. All information on KidsHealth is for educational purposes only.