Abstract 1821 Entamoeba distinctive dispersal in response to secreted kin/clone chemical signals

Recognizing kin members and discriminating against cheaters is essential for the proliferation and survival of conspecifics. Entamoeba spp. protistan populations are ingested as dormant cysts that turn into parasitic trophozoites in their host's intestinal tracks. Upon ingestion, the cyst is exposed to high acidity from the stomach and induces a severe amoeba cyst-population crash in which surviving, now mobile single Entamoeba trophozoites colonize and proliferate on the intestinal mucus membranes.