Isolation of Acanthamoeba species in surface waters of Gilan province-north of Iran.

We analyzed water samples to determine the prevalence of free-living Acanthamoeba in water sources from Gilan, greater area, Iran. A total of 27 surface water samples were collected from environmental sources, including natural (rivers, lakes, springs, and lagoon) and freshwater source. The samples were filtrated and transferred to non-nutrient agar plates seeded with Escherichia coli and incubated for 2 to 7 days at 30°C or 42°C. The plates were examined by microscopy to morphologically identify Acanthamoeba species. Following DNA extraction, PCR was used to confirm the microscopically identification. A total of 19 out of 27 samples (70.3%) were positive for Acanthamoeba species based on the morphological criteria, and 14 (73.7%) were confirmed by PCR method. The high frequency of Acanthamoeba spp. in different environmental water sources of Gilan is an alert for the public health related to water sources in Iran.