The process by which a dysentery amoeba absorbs red blood cells.

The specified nature of nutrition is usually called phagocytosis – human leukocytes feed in a similar way. But only if these cells of the immune system eat foreign bodies and pathogens, then the dysentery amoeba destroys useful blood cells. The mechanism in both cases is practically the same – it can be characterized as follows:

• Approach of the microorganism to the erythrocyte by positive chemotaxis (the amoeba is “oriented” by specific receptors that are on the surface of the erythrocyte cell);
• contact between the cell walls of the parasite and the red blood cell;
• enveloping a cell of a dysentery amoeba of an erythrocyte cell, and from all sides;
• destruction of the erythrocyte cell wall, which occurs due to the fact that special enzymes – hydrolases – are released from lysosomes, under the action of which complex chemical compounds break down;
• intracellular digestion – the amoeba digests the remains of dead microorganisms.

That’s it, the process of eating is complete – it is customary to call it phagocytosis.