Estimation Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha and Hemoglobin in Patients Infected with Entamoeba histolytica

Abstract Background: Entamoeba histolytica infects the intestinal wall, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α ) acts as a catalyst and a major mediator in the occurrence of inflammation in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Anemia is a common health problem, among these, the important reasons that cause iron deficiency and thus affect hemoglobin levels are infections resulting from parasitic infections. Objective: Examine the impact of E. histolytica infection on hemoglobin levels as well as the impact on TNF- α levels. Materials and Methods: To conduct study tests, blood samples were collected (80 patients and 40 healthy samples) from people infected with the parasite from different age groups and from both sexes, after the parasite was diagnosed in their stools using light microscope. After that, serological tests were performed, which included quantitative assessment of TNF- α using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique in both groups (patient and healthy samples). Another test was included for estimating hemoglobin levels in both study groups. Results: The findings indicated a statistically significant distinction, P ≤ 0.05, in the concentration of TNF in samples of infected individuals compared to the concentration of TNF in control samples. The findings indicated a statistically significant distinction, P ≤ 0.05, in the level of hemoglobin (HGB) in samples of infected individuals compared to the levels of HGB in control samples. The statistical results showed that there are significant differences between the prevalence of infection with this parasite between rural and urban areas, as the percentage of infection in rural areas was higher than that in the city, and the study showed that men are infected with E. histolytica more than women, and the results of the study showed that the age groups 1‐10 and 11‐20 years recorded the highest infection rate (25% and 25%) with E. histolytica , compared to the category 21‐30 years, which recorded the lowest infection rate (10%). Conclusion: In individuals infected with the parasite, high levels of TNF- α were found together with a drop in hemoglobin levels and under a probability of 0.05. ad ditionally, the incidence of the parasite was higher in rural than in urban regions, and children and adults were more likely to be infected than those over the age of fifty. Infection was more widely distributed in women than in men with a probability of less than 0.05.