Survey on the Contamination Rate of Stagnant Water and Soil to Vermamoeba Vermiformis in Arak Parks, Iran, 2017-2018

Background and Aim: Vermamoeba vermiformis is an opportunistic free living amoeba(FLA) that is ubiquitous in different environmental sources. This Amoeba can cause Amoebic Keratitis(AK) and Granulomatous Amoebic Encephlitis (GAE) in immunocompromised patients. This study was conducted to determine the rate of Vermamoeba vermiformis in stagnant water and soil in Arak. Materials and Methods:  In this Cross-Sectional study, stagnant water(60) and soil samples(36) were collected from Arak parks. The samples were filtered in 0.45µm nitrocellulose paper and cultured on to 1.5% NNA for the presence of free living amoeba(FLA). After DNA extraction, Vermamoeba vermiformis was identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) using primers NA1 and NA2. Eight isolates of Vermamoeba vermiformis were sequenced blasted and after confirmation, recorded in the Gene Bank. The data were recorded in SPSS.16 and analyzed using X2 and Fischer Exact test. Results: Out of 96 environmental sources, 29.2% were positive for free living amoeba. The rate of FLA pollution in stagnant water and soil were 28.3 and 30.6% respectively(P<0.001). The contamination rate of stagnant water and soil with Vermamoeba vermiformis were 10% and 16.7%, respectively(P<0.001). Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed ,that stagnant water and soil resources were contaminated to FLA and Vermamoeba. Due to the Pathogenic ability of this amoeba and the possibility of endosymbian pathogens in it, health education is recommended for controlling and preventing the disease, especially in susceptible patients, including those who use contact lenses.