Todd Cheridah D, Reyes-Batlle María, Martín-Navarro Carmen Ma, Dorta-Gorrín Alexis, López-Arencibia Atteneri, Martínez-Carretero Enrique, Piñero José E, Valladares Basilio, Lindo John F, Lorenzo-Morales Jacob
University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, La Laguna Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2015 May-Jun;62(3):416-21. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12197. Epub 2014 Dec 10.
Acanthamoeba spp. are opportunistic pathogens that are ubiquitous in nature. Many species of this genus are responsible for a fatal encephalitis and keratitis in humans and other animals. Seventy-two soil samples were collected from the parishes across Jamaica and assessed for the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. Cultivation was carried out on non-nutrient agar plates seeded with heat killed Escherichia coli. PCR and sequencing of the DF3 region were carried out in order to genotype the isolated strains of Acanthamoeba. Thermotolerance and osmotolerance assays were utilized to investigate the pathogenic potential of the Acanthamoeba isolates. Acanthamoeba spp. was isolated from 63.9% of soil samples. Sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA resulted in the identification of genotypes T4, T5, and T11. T4 genotype was most frequently isolated. Most isolates were thermotolerant or both thermotolerant and osmotolerant, indicating that they may present the potential to cause disease in humans and other animals.
棘阿米巴属是自然界中普遍存在的机会性病原体。该属的许多物种可导致人类和其他动物患上致命性脑炎和角膜炎。从牙买加各教区采集了72份土壤样本，评估其中棘阿米巴属的存在情况。在接种了热灭活大肠杆菌的非营养琼脂平板上进行培养。对分离出的棘阿米巴菌株进行PCR扩增和DF3区域测序以进行基因分型。利用耐热性和耐渗性试验来研究棘阿米巴分离株的致病潜力。从63.9%的土壤样本中分离出了棘阿米巴属。对18S rDNA的DF3区域进行测序后鉴定出T4、T5和T11基因型。T4基因型是最常分离出的。大多数分离株具有耐热性，或兼具耐热性和耐渗性，这表明它们可能具有在人类和其他动物中引发疾病的潜力。
