Overview

• Entamoeba histolytica infects 50 million people annually, causing severe cases of amoebiasis that lead to up to 70,000 deaths worldwide.
• The parasite damages tissues through trogocytosis, a process where it bites off fragments of human cells, leading to ulcers and organ abscesses.
• Researchers at UC Davis have detailed how the parasite evades immune responses by ingesting human cell proteins and using them as a protective disguise.
• A newly published plan in *Trends in Parasitology* outlines how RNAi libraries and CRISPR gene-editing can pinpoint genes essential to the parasite's pathogenicity.
• This approach marks a significant step toward developing targeted treatments and vaccines for a disease that currently lacks preventive options.