Kot Karolina, Łanocha-Arendarczyk Natalia A., Kosik-Bogacka Danuta I.
Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Biotechnology and Laboratory Medicine, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, ul. Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Ann Parasitol. 2018;64(4):299-308. doi: 10.17420/ap6404.164.
Amoebas from the genus Acanthamoeba are cosmopolitan organisms, which can exist as free-living organisms and as parasites within host tissue. Acanthamoeba infection present a serious risk to human health and are characterized by high mortality, especially in immunocompromised individuals. These protozoa are the etiological factors of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). They can also live in the lungs, adrenals glands, nose, throat, and bones of the host. Furthermore, the amoebas can be vectors of pathogenic bacteria. Acanthamoeba infection caused is a serious clinical problem mainly due to limited progress in diagnostics and treatment of this infection, which is associated with insufficient knowledge of pathogenesis, pathophysiology and the host immune response against Acanthamoeba antigens. This review study presents the biology of Acanthamoeba sp. as well as pathogenicity, diagnostics, and treatment of amoebas infections. It also presents data, including experimental results, concerning pathogenic properties and the host’s immunology response against Acanthamoeba sp.
棘阿米巴属的变形虫是世界性分布的生物，它们既可以作为自由生活的生物存在，也可以作为宿主组织内的寄生虫存在。棘阿米巴感染对人类健康构成严重风险，其特点是死亡率高，尤其是在免疫功能低下的个体中。这些原生动物是肉芽肿性阿米巴脑炎（GAE）和棘阿米巴角膜炎（AK）的病因。它们也可以存在于宿主的肺部、肾上腺、鼻子、喉咙和骨骼中。此外，变形虫可以是致病细菌的载体。棘阿米巴感染引发的是一个严重的临床问题，主要是因为这种感染的诊断和治疗进展有限，这与对发病机制、病理生理学以及宿主针对棘阿米巴抗原的免疫反应了解不足有关。这篇综述研究介绍了棘阿米巴属的生物学特性以及变形虫感染的致病性、诊断方法和治疗方法。它还展示了包括实验结果在内的数据，这些数据涉及棘阿米巴属的致病特性以及宿主对其的免疫反应。
