[Epidemiology of free-living amoebae in the waters of Strasbourg (France) (author's transl)].

164 strains of free-living amoebae were isolated from public drinking water supplies, swimming pools and official swimming ponds in Strasbourg; 11 genera and 16 species were identified. Some strains of Acanthamoeba are pathogenic for mice by intracerebral inoculation. Among the two strains of Naegleria found none is pathogenic. The results concerning free-living amoebae are compared with the level of chlorine and bromine and with the presence of bacteria in swimming pools.