Lorenzo-Morales Jacob, López-Darias Marta, Martínez-Carretero Enrique, Valladares Basilio
Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, University of La Laguna, Av. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez s/n, 38203 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain.
Exp Parasitol. 2007 Sep;117(1):74-9. doi: 10.1016/j.exppara.2007.03.014. Epub 2007 Mar 27.
In this study, a survey was conducted in order to determine the presence and pathogenic potential of free-living amoebae of Acanthamoeba genus in a population of Barbary Ground squirrels in Fuerteventura Island (Canary Islands, Spain) and Morocco. Identification of Acanthamoeba was based on the morphology of cyst and trophozoite forms and PCR amplification with a genus specific primer pair. The pathogenic potential of Acanthamoeba isolates was characterized using PCRs with two primer pairs related to Acanthamoeba pathogenesis and cytotoxicity assays using human corneal cells. Isolates genotypes were also determined after ribosomal DNA sequencing. These data revealed that the potentially pathogenic isolates belonged to T3 and T4. To our knowledge, this is the first report presenting the isolation of potentially pathogenic Acanthamoeba strains in wild squirrels, and it is also the first description of the pathogenic T3 and T4 Acanthamoeba genotypes in Fuerteventura and Morocco.
在本研究中，为确定西班牙加那利群岛富埃特文图拉岛及摩洛哥的巴巴里地松鼠种群中棘阿米巴属自由生活阿米巴的存在情况及致病潜力，开展了一项调查。棘阿米巴的鉴定基于包囊和滋养体形态以及使用属特异性引物对进行的PCR扩增。使用与棘阿米巴发病机制相关的两对引物通过PCR以及利用人角膜细胞进行细胞毒性试验，对棘阿米巴分离株的致病潜力进行了表征。核糖体DNA测序后还确定了分离株的基因型。这些数据表明，潜在致病性分离株属于T3和T4型。据我们所知，这是首次报告在野生松鼠中分离出潜在致病性棘阿米巴菌株，也是首次描述富埃特文图拉岛和摩洛哥的致病性T3和T4型棘阿米巴基因型。
