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Isolation of Acanthamoeba spp. from different water sources in Isfahan, central Iran, 2014

Journal of Parasitic Diseases volume 40, pages 1483–1486 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoeba found in a wide variety of natural habitats. The high percentage of the presence of Acanthamoeba in different environmental sources represents a sanitary risk for public health, especially immunocompromised patients and contact lens wearers. Acanthamoeba can cause granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, otitis, lung lesions, and skin infections in individuals with immune deficiencies. In the present study, the status of contamination of water sources in Isfahan, central Iran is analyzed through parasitological method. Totally 93 samples were utilized consisting of 59 samples of tap water and 34 samples of environmental water collected from Isfahan in May and June 2014. After filtering, cultivation was done in non-nutrient agar medium, and then the cultured media were kept at 25–30 °C. The samples were analyzed based on the morphological criteria. Acanthamoeba spp. were found in 25 (73.53 %) out of 34 environmental water samples and 17 (28.8 %) out of 59 tap water. Generally, Acanthamoeba spp. were found in 42 (45.16 %) of the samples. The results of the present study showed that the water contamination with Acanthamoeba spp. in different regions of Isfahan can be a potential infection source for at high risk people. It could be suggested that public education and precaution are quiet necessary.

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Acknowledgments

This study is a part of MS thesis of Medical Parasitology and was financially supported by Vice-chancellor of Research and Technology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Reza Mohammadi Manesh, Hossein Ali Yousefi & Abbas Ali Eskandarian

  2. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Niyyati

Authors
  1. Reza Mohammadi Manesh
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  2. Maryam Niyyati
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  3. Hossein Ali Yousefi
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  4. Abbas Ali Eskandarian
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Correspondence to Abbas Ali Eskandarian.

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Mohammadi Manesh, R., Niyyati, M., Yousefi, H.A. et al. Isolation of Acanthamoeba spp. from different water sources in Isfahan, central Iran, 2014. J Parasit Dis 40, 1483–1486 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-015-0716-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-015-0716-7

Keywords

  • Acanthamoeba
  • Water source
  • Isfahan
  • Iran