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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Strains from Skin of Terrestrial Amphibians
Published on: June 17, 2025
Vannellid Species Isolated from Freshwater Source in a Park in Jamaica, West Indies
Cheridah D Todd1, María Reyes-Batlle2, Basilio Valladares2
1University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. ; Department of Microbiology, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
Abstract:
Free-living amoebae (FLA) occupy a wide range of freshwater, marine, and soil habitats, and are opportunistic pathogens in human beings. While Acanthamoeba spp., Naegleria fowleri, and Balamuthia mandrillaris are well-known opportunistic organisms, Vannella epipetala is nonpathogenic. Sediments were collected from a freshwater source from a park in Jamaica to investigate the presence of FLA. Acanthamoeba and Naegleria spp. were not recovered; however, a Vannellid species identified by microscopy and PCR analysis as V. epipetala was isolated. These nonpathogens pose a threat to human beings as they may act as Trojan horses for microsporidian parasites and other pathogens, thereby facilitating their transmission to human beings.
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