[Isolation of free-living amoebas from samples of respiratory origin]

By seeding free-living amebas in isolation, a study was conducted on the contamination by these protozoa of nasal and pharyngeal mucus in 58 children from Madrid. Two positive cases were identified, leading to the isolation of 2 amoebic strains, identified as belonging to the genus Acanthamoeba. The pathogenic capacity of these amebas was tested in white mice, and one of the former was found to be extremely pathogenic for these mice. The potential hazard deriving from the presence of these pathogenic for these mice. The potential hazard deriving from the presence of these pathogenic protozoa among healthy populations is discussed.