Castrillón Juan C, Orozco Lina P
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Rev Chilena Infectol. 2013 Apr;30(2):147-55. doi: 10.4067/S0716-10182013000200005.
Among free-living amoeba in nature, species of the genus Acanthamoeba have been associated with human disease. These amoeba are among the most abundant protozoa in nature due to its cosmopolitan distribution and are able to survive in a wide variety of habitats because its low demand for food and in harsh environments by forming structures known as cysts. However, ecological changes and incursion of its different habitats have made this organism can invade a host and live as parasites within him. That's why this type of protozoa are known as amphizoic organism, because human can be constituted as its host, causing infections in the central nervous system, disseminated infections in skin and lungs, and keratitis. Thus, since an increase in the number of cases of Acanthamoeba infections has occurred worldwide, these protozoa have become increasingly important as agents of human disease. This review summarizes what is known of this kind of free-living amoeba, focusing on the biology, ecology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and human defense mechanism against infection by the amoeba.
在自然界的自由生活变形虫中，棘阿米巴属的物种与人类疾病有关。由于其世界性分布，这些变形虫是自然界中最丰富的原生动物之一，并且由于其对食物的低需求以及通过形成称为包囊的结构而能够在各种恶劣环境中生存。然而，生态变化及其不同栖息地的入侵使得这种生物体能够侵入宿主并在宿主体内寄生生活。这就是为什么这种类型的原生动物被称为兼性生物，因为人类可以成为其宿主，导致中枢神经系统感染、皮肤和肺部的播散性感染以及角膜炎。因此，由于全世界棘阿米巴感染病例数量有所增加，这些原生动物作为人类疾病的病原体变得越来越重要。本综述总结了关于这种自由生活变形虫的已知信息，重点关注其生物学、生态学、发病机制、诊断、治疗以及人类针对变形虫感染的防御机制。
