Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Isolation and Genotyping of Acanthamoeba spp. as Neglected Parasites in North of Iran

  • Shokri, Azar (Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center, Sari Medical School, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Sarvi, Shahabeddin (Toxoplasmosis Research Center (TRC), Sari Medical School, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Daryani, Ahmad (Toxoplasmosis Research Center (TRC), Sari Medical School, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Sharif, Mehdi (Toxoplasmosis Research Center (TRC), Sari Medical School, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences)
  • Received : 2015.12.15
  • Accepted : 2016.05.26
  • Published : 2016.08.31
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Acanthamoeba, a free-living amoeba, is widely distributed in the environment, water sources, soil, dust, and air. It can cause keratitis in contact lens wearers with poor hygiene and also fatal granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) in immunocompromised hosts. The aim of this study was to gain some insights into the distribution and genotypes of the potentially pathogenic species of Acanthamoeba present in water sources in north of Iran. Total 43 Acanthamoeba species were isolated from 77 water samples taken from different water sources within the Mazandaran province in Northern Iran (Sari city and suburbs). Isolates were identified based on cyst and trophozoite morphological characteristics as well genetics. PCR fragments corresponding to the small-subunit 18S rRNA gene were sequenced for 20 of 43 positive isolates. The results revealed that 83.3% of sequenced isolates belonged to the T4 genotype and the rest belonged to the T2 genotype. Our results indicated that Acanthamoeba is widely distributed in Sari city. As the incidence in Iran of amoebic keratitis has increased in recent years, the exact estimation of the prevalence of this amoeba and its predominant genotype may play a crucial role in prevention of the disease. Sari city has several rivers, seashores, and natural recreational amenities, which attract visitors during the year. This is the first report of Acanthamoeba genotypes from water sources in Sari city, Mazandaran province of Iran, and the results suggest that more attention is needed to protect the visiting population and immunocompromised individuals.

Keywords

References

  1. Kuk S, Yazar S, Dogan S, Cetinkayau U, Sakalar C. Molecular characterization of Acanthamoeba isolated from Kayseri well water. Turk J Med Sci 2013; 43: 1-6.
  2. Choi SH, Cho MK, Ahn SC, Lee JE, Lee SJ, Kim DH, Xuan YH, Hong YC, Kong HH, Chung DI, Yu HS. Endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba isolated from domestic tap water in Korea. Korean J Parasitol 2009; 47: 337-344. https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2009.47.4.337
  3. Khan NA. Acanthamoeba: biology and increasing importance in human health. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2006; 30: 564-595. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2006.00023.x
  4. Lorenzo-Morales J, Martin-Navarro CM, Lopez-Arencibia A, Arnalich-Montiel F, Pinero JE, Valladare B. Acanthamoeba keratitis: an emerging disease gathering importance worldwide? Trends Parasitol 2012; 29: 181-187.
  5. Shoff ME, Rogerson A, Kessler K, Schatz S, Seal DV. Prevalence of Acanthamoeba and other naked amoebae in South Florida domestic water. J Water Health 2008; 6: 99-104. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2007.014
  6. Verani JR, Lorick SA, Yoder JS, Beach MJ, Braden CR, Roberts JM, Conover CS, Chen S, McConnell KA, Chang DC, Park BJ, Jones DB, Visvesvara GS, Roy SL. National outbreak of Acanthamoeba keratitis associated with use of a contact lens solution, United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2009; 15: 1236-1242. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1508.090225
  7. Siddiqui R, Khan NA. Biology and pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba. Parasit Vectors 2012; 5: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-5-1
  8. Kilic A, Tanyuksel M, Sissons J, Jayasekera S, Khan NA. Isolation of Acanthamoeba isolates belonging to T2, T3, T4 and T7 genotypes from environmental samples in Ankara, Turkey. Acta Parasitol 2004; 49: 246-252.
  9. Maghsood AH, Rezaian M, Rahimi F, Ghiasian SA, Farnia SH. Contact lens-associated Acanthamoeba keratitis in Iran. Iran J Public Health 2005; 34: 40-47.
  10. Duarte AG, Sattar F, Granwehr B, Aronson JF, Wang Z, Lick S. Disseminated acanthamoebiasis after lung transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant 2006; 25: 237-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healun.2005.09.006
  11. Rahman MM, Yagita K, Kobayashi A, Oikawa Y, Hussein AIA, Matsumura T, Tokoro M. Genetic characterization of clinical Acanthamoeba isolates from Japan using nuclear and mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA. Korean J Parasitol 2013; 51: 401-411. https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2013.51.4.401
  12. Duarte JL, Furst C, Klisiowic DR, Klassen G, Costa AO. Morphological, genotypic, and physiological characterization of Acanthamoeba isolates from keratitis patients and the domestic environment in Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil. Exp Parasitol 2013; 135: 9-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2013.05.013
  13. Lasjerdi Z, Niyyati M, Haghighi A, Shahabi S, Tahvildar Biderouni F, Taghipour N, Eftekhar M, Nazemalhosseini Mojarad E. Potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae isolated from hospital wards with immunodeficient patients in Tehran, Iran. Parasitol Res 2011; 109: 575-580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2288-5
  14. Yousuf FA, Siddiqui R, Khan NA. Acanthamoeba castellanii of the T4 genotype is a potential environmental host for Enterobacter aerogenes and Aeromonas hydrophila. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-6-1
  15. Greub G, Raoult D. Microorganisms resistant to free-living amoebae. Clin Microbiol Rev 2004; 413-433.
  16. Pussard M, Pons R. Morphologie de la paroi kystiqueet taxonomie du genre Acanthamoeba (Protozoa, Amoebida). Protistologica 1977; 8: 557-598.
  17. Nazar M, Haghighi A, Niyyati M, Eftekhar M, Tahvildar-biderouni F, Taghipour N, Abadi A, Nazemalhosseini Mojarad E, Athari A. Genotyping of Acanthamoeba isolated from water in recreational areas of Tehran, Iran. J Water Health 2011; 9: 603-608. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2011.152
  18. Niyyati M, Lorenzo-Morales J, Rezaie S, Rahimi F, Mohebali M, Maghsood AH, Motevalli-Haghi A, Martin-Navarro CM, Farnia S, Valladares B, Rezaeian M. Genotyping of Acanthamoeba isolates from clinical and environmental specimens in Iran. Exp Parasitol 2009; 121: 242-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2008.11.003
  19. Jeong HJ, Yu HS. The role of domestic tap water in Acanthamoeba contamination in contact lens storage cases in Korea. Korean J Parasitol 2005; 43: 47-50. https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2005.43.2.47
  20. Marciano-Cabral F, Jamerson M, Kaneshiro ES. Free-living amoebae, Legionella and Mycobacterium in tap water supplied by a municipal drinking water utility in the USA. J Water Health 2010; 8: 71-82. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2009.129
  21. Sharma R, Jhanji V, Satpathy G, Sharma N, Khokhar S, Agarwal T. Coinfection with Acanthamoeba and Pseudomonas in contact lens-associated keratitis. Optom Vis Sci 2013; 90: 53-55. https://doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0b013e31827f15b4
  22. Rezeaian M, Farnia S, Niyyati M, Rahimi M. Amoebic keratitis in Iran (1997-2007). Iran J Parasitol 2007; 2: 1-6.
  23. Visvesvara GS, Moura H, Schuster FL. Pathogenic and opportunistic free-living amoebae: Acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri and Sappinia diploidea. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 2007; 50: 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2007.00232.x
  24. Badirzadeh A, Niyyati M, Babaei Z, Amini H, Badirzadeh H, Rezaeian M. Isolation of free-living amoebae from Sarein hot springs in Ardebil Province, Iran. Iran J Parasitol 2011; 6: 1-8.
  25. Rezaeian M, Niyyati M, Farnia S, Motevalli Haghi A. Isolation of Acanthamoeba spp. from different environmental sources. Iran J Parasitol 2008; 3: 44-47.
  26. Bagheri HR, Shafiei R, Shafiei F, Sajjadi SA. Isolation of Acanthamoeba spp. from drinking waters in several hospitals of Iran. Iran J Parasitol 2010; 5: 19-25.
  27. Niyyati M, Rezaie S, Babaei Z, Rezaeian M. Molecular identification and sequencing of mannose binding protein (MBP) gene of Acanthamoeba palestinensis. Iran J Parasitol 2010; 5: 1-5.
  28. Rahdar M, Niyyati M, Salehi M, Feghhi M, Makvandi M, Pourmehdi M, Farnia S. Isolation and genotyping of Acanthamoeba strains from environmental sources in Ahvaz City, Khuzestan Province, Southern Iran. Iran J Parasitol 2012; 7: 22-26.
  29. Landell MF, Salton J, Caumo K, Broetto L, Rott MB. Isolation and genotyping of free-living environmental isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. from bromeliads in Southern Brazil. Exp Parasitol 2013; 134: 290-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2013.03.028

Cited by

  1. Free-living amoebae in the water resources of Iran: a systematic review vol.41, pp.4, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-017-0950-2
  2. Isolation and molecular identification of Acanthamoeba spp. from hot springs in Mazandaran province, northern Iran vol.16, pp.5, 2018, https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2018.098
  3. Identification and ultrastructural characterization of Acanthamoeba bacterial endocytobionts belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria class vol.13, pp.10, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204732
  4. Isolation and identification of Acanthamoeba from pond water of parks in a tropical and subtropical region in the Middle East, and its relation with physicochemical parameters vol.18, pp.None, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-018-1301-x
  5. Identification and Genotypic Characterization of Potentially Pathogenic Acanthamoeba Isolated from Tap Water in Wuxi, China vol.56, pp.6, 2016, https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2018.56.6.615
  6. Isolation and Genotyping of Acanthamoeba from Soil Samples in Markazi Province, Iran vol.6, pp.12, 2016, https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2018.454
  7. A review of Acanthamoeba keratitis in the middle East and Iran vol.8, pp.4, 2016, https://doi.org/10.4103/2221-6189.263705
  8. Occurrence of free-living amoebae (Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia, Naegleria) in water samples in Peninsular Malaysia vol.17, pp.1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2018.164
  9. Development of a method to extract protozoan DNA from black soil vol.4, pp.None, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2018.e00081
  10. Genotyping determination of Acanthamoeba strains: an original study and a systematic review in Iran vol.17, pp.5, 2019, https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2019.048
  11. Occurrence and molecular characterisation of Acanthamoeba isolated from recreational hot springs in Malaysia: evidence of pathogenic potential vol.17, pp.5, 2016, https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2019.214
  12. Clinical presentations, genotypic diversity and phylogenetic analysis of Acanthamoeba species causing keratitis vol.69, pp.1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001121
  13. Isolation and molecular identification of free-living amoebae (Naegleria spp., Acanthamoeba spp. and Vermamoeba spp.) from mineral springs in Guilan Province, northern Iran vol.18, pp.1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2020.191
  14. Investigating Domestic Shower Settings as a Risk Factor for Acanthamoeba Keratitis vol.12, pp.12, 2016, https://doi.org/10.3390/w12123493
  15. Molecular Identification of Pathogenic Free-Living Amoeba from Household Biofilm Samples in Iran: A Risk Factor for Acanthamoeba Keratitis vol.9, pp.10, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102098