Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan.
Parasitol Res. 2013 Feb;112(2):879-81. doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-3081-9. Epub 2012 Aug 16.
Acanthamoeba isolation from extreme environments suggests that they may play a role in regulating archaeal densities and contribute to these ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Acanthamoeba grow on extremophilic/mesophilic Archaea that are dominant cellular organisms in such environments. Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 and Sulfolobus shibatae were used as representative of Archaea, while Escherichia coli K-12 strain HB101 was used as a positive control for amoeba growth. Acanthamoeba castellanii were inoculated on nonnutrient agar plates containing lawns of Sulfolobus and E. coli. The cultures of Sulfolobus supported A. castellanii growth similar to E. coli K-12, HB101. Overall, the findings revealed that Acanthamoeba feed on Sulfolobus, which may explain amoebae presence in extreme environments. This feeding behavior is important as extremophilic/mesophilic Archaea are known to play a role in biogeochemical cycling of different elements in their natural habitat impacting different ecosystems.
从极端环境中分离出棘阿米巴表明，它们可能在调节古菌密度方面发挥作用，并有助于这些生态系统的形成。本研究旨在确定棘阿米巴是否会在极端嗜热/嗜中温古菌上生长，这些古菌是这些环境中主要的细胞生物。选取 Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 和 Sulfolobus shibatae 作为古菌的代表，而 Escherichia coli K-12 菌株 HB101 则作为阿米巴生长的阳性对照。将棘阿米巴 castellanii 接种在含有 Sulfolobus 和 Escherichia coli 菌坪的非营养琼脂平板上。Sulfolobus 的培养物支持棘阿米巴 castellanii 的生长，类似于 Escherichia coli K-12、HB101。总的来说，这些发现表明棘阿米巴以 Sulfolobus 为食，这可以解释在极端环境中存在阿米巴的原因。这种摄食行为很重要，因为已知极端嗜热/嗜中温古菌在其天然栖息地中对不同元素的生物地球化学循环中发挥作用，从而影响不同的生态系统。
