Isolation, characterization, and pathogenicity assay of Acanthamoeba and its endosymbionts in respiratory disorders and COVID-19 hospitalized patients, northern Iran.

Autor: Soleymani E; Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran., Fakhar M; Iranian National Registry Center for Lophomoniasis and Toxoplasmosis, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Electronic address: Mahdifakhar53@gmail.com., Davoodi L; Department of Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran., Motavallihaghi S; Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran., Sharifpour A; Department of Internal Ward, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Iranian National Registry Center for Lophomoniasis and Toxoplasmosis, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran., Maghsood AH; Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Electronic address: A.h.maghsood@umsha.ac.ir.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Experimental parasitology [Exp Parasitol] 2024 Jul; Vol. 262, pp. 108774. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 14.
DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108774
Abstrakt: Acanthamoeba spp., are common free-living amoebae found in nature that can serve as reservoirs for certain microorganisms. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a newly emerged respiratory infection, and the investigation of parasitic infections remains an area of limited research. Given that Acanthamoeba can act as a host for various endosymbiotic microbial pathogens and its pathogenicity assay is not fully understood, this study aimed to identify Acanthamoeba and its bacterial and fungal endosymbionts in patients with chronic respiratory disorders and hospitalized COVID-19 patients in northern Iran. Additionally, a pathogenicity assay was conducted on Acanthamoeba isolates. Urine, nasopharyngeal swab, and respiratory specimens were collected from two groups, and each sample was cultured on 1.5% non-nutrient agar medium. The cultures were then incubated at room temperature and monitored daily for a period of two weeks. Eight Acanthamoeba isolates were identified, and PCR was performed to confirm the presence of amoebae and identify their endosymbionts. Four isolates were found to have bacterial endosymbionts, including Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter sp., while two isolates harbored fungal endosymbionts, including an uncultured fungus and Gloeotinia sp. In the pathogenicity assay, five isolates exhibited a higher degree of pathogenicity compared to the other three. This study provides significant insights into the comorbidity of acanthamoebiasis and COVID-19 on a global scale, and presents the first evidence of Gloeotinia sp. as a fungal endosymbiont. Nevertheless, further research is required to fully comprehend the symbiotic patterns and establish effective treatment protocols.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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