Quick survey for detection, identification and characterization of Acanthamoeba genotypes from some selected soil and
Tania Tanveer1, Abdul Hameed2, Asma Gul3
1Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, University of Haripur, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Department of Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Abstract:
Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoan pathogen which is widely distributed in nature and plays a pivotal role in ecosystem. Acanthamoeba species may cause blinding keratitis and fatal granulomatous encephalitis involving central nervous system. In this study, we investigated the presence of Acanthamoeba in soil and water resources of Pakistan. Here, Acanthamoeba were recovered on non-nutrient agar plate lawn with E. coli and identified by morphological characteristics of the cyst. Furthermore PCR was performed with genus-specific primers followed by direct sequencing of the PCR product for molecular identification. Overall our PCR and sequencing results confirmed pathogenic genotypes including T4 and T15 from both soil and water samples. This is our first report of Acanthamoeba isolation from both soil and water resources of Pakistan which may serve as a potential treat to human health across the country.
