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Acanthamoeba: keratopathogenicity of isolates from domestic tap water in Korea

Hae Jin Jeong1, Sun Joo Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim

  • 1Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, 1-10 Ami-dong, Seo-gu, Busan 602-739, Republic of Korea.

Experimental Parasitology
|June 19, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Domestic tap water is a likely source of Acanthamoeba contamination in contact lens storage cases. Most isolates from both sources show potential for causing keratitis (eye infections).

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Acanthamoeba is a cause of microbial keratitis, a serious eye infection.
  • Contact lens storage cases (CLSC) and domestic tap water are potential reservoirs for Acanthamoeba.
  • Previous studies have reported Acanthamoeba contamination rates in Korea.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the potential kerato-pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba isolates from CLSC and tap water.
  • To compare these isolates with known amoebic keratitis (AK) isolates and reference strains.
  • To investigate the genetic and drug sensitivity profiles of these Acanthamoeba strains.

Main Methods:

  • Morphological analysis of Acanthamoeba cysts.
  • Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiling.
  • 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing.
  • Drug sensitivity testing against chlorhexidine and polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB).
  • Assessment of cytopathic effects on human corneal epithelial cells.

Main Results:

  • Acanthamoeba isolates from CLSC and tap water exhibited morphological characteristics of group 2.
  • mtDNA RFLP analysis revealed distinct patterns, with significant overlap between CLSC and tap water isolates.
  • The majority of isolates shared mtDNA RFLP patterns with Korean AK isolates.
  • 18S rDNA sequencing results corroborated the mtDNA RFLP findings.
  • Variable drug sensitivities were observed, with specific strains showing high sensitivity to chlorhexidine and PHMB.
  • Cytopathic effects varied among isolates based on their mtDNA genotypes.

Conclusions:

  • Domestic tap water is a probable source for Acanthamoeba contamination of CLSC.
  • Acanthamoeba isolates from CLSC and tap water possess characteristics suggesting potential for causing keratitis.
  • Genetic profiling (mtDNA RFLP and 18S rDNA) is valuable for tracking Acanthamoeba sources and understanding pathogenicity.
  • Drug sensitivity profiles highlight potential therapeutic targets for Acanthamoeba infections.

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