High occurrence of Acanthamoeba genotype T4 in soil sources from Bolívar State, Venezuela

Autor: Ines Sifaoui, Atteneri López-Arencibia, Gladymar Pérez, Aurora Hernán, Basilio Valladares, Carolina Wagner, Elsy Rojas, Enrique Martínez-Carretero, Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, María Reyes-Batlle, José E. Piñero
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Acta parasitologica. 61(3)
ISSN: 1896-1851
Popis: Pathogenic strains of Acanthamoeba are causative agents of keratitis and encephalitis that often may end fatal in humans and other animals. In the present study, twenty-seven soil samples were collected in the Bolivar State in Venezuela and checked for the presence of Acanthamoeba. Samples were cultivated onto 2% non-nutrient agar plates seeded with a layer of heat killed E. coli. Amplification by PCR and sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA of Acanthamoeba was carried out in order to confirm morphological identification of the amoebae. Furthermore, Acanthamoeba spp. was isolated from 51.8% of soil samples. Sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA resulted in the identification of genotype T4 in all samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genotype T4 in soil sources from Venezuela. Further studies should be carried out in this State and in the country in order to determine the current occurrence of Acanthamoeba in Venezuelan environments.
Databáze: OpenAIRE