Abstract
The protista Acanthamoeba is a free-living amoeba existing in various environments. A number of species among protista are recognized as human pathogens, potentially causing Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), and chronic granulomatous lesions. In this study, 10 rhizosphere samples were collected from maize and alfalfa plants in experimental station at Institute of Genetics, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Szent István University. We detected Acanthamoeba based on the quantitative real-time PCR assay and sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene. All studied molecular biological methods are suitable for the detection of Acanthamoeba infection in humans. The quantitative real-time PCR-based methods are more sensitive, simple, and easy to perform; moreover, these are opening avenue to detect the effect of number of parasites on human disease. Acanthamoeba species were detected in five (5/10; 50%) samples. All Acanthamoeba strains belonged to T4 genotype, the main AK-related genotype worldwide. Our result confirmed Acanthamoeba strains in rhizosphere that should be considered as a potential health risk associated with human activities in the environment.
Highlights
Acanthamoeba is a genus of free-living amoebae widely distributed in various ecological environments [1,2,3]
A number of species among protista are recognized as human pathogens, potentially causing Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), and chronic granulomatous lesions
All Acanthamoeba strains belonged to T4 genotype, the main AK-related genotype worldwide
Summary
Acanthamoeba is a genus of free-living amoebae widely distributed in various ecological environments [1,2,3]. The life cycle of Acanthamoeba species (sp.) consists of the active trophozoites and dormant cysts stages. Acanthamoeba trophozoites have a size between 20 and 40 μm, this range can vary significantly among isolates of different species genotypes. Cysts are double-walled and range in size from 10 and 20 μm. This difference in size between the cyst and trophozoite involves a significant loss of cell volume mail due to cellular dehydrations. Acanthamoeba spp. are thermotolerant, which are resistant to extreme temperature, pH conditions, UV, as well as to chlorine and other disinfectant media
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