We present evidence that native profilin can be purified from cellular extracts of Acanthamoeba, Dictyostelium, and human platelets by affinity chromatography on poly-L-proline agarose. After applying cell extracts and washing the column with 3 M urea, homogeneous profilin is eluted by increasing the urea concentration to 6-8 M. Acanthamoeba profilin-I and profilin-II can subsequently be separa...

Identification of Acanthamoeba cysts and trophozoites in ocular tissues requires considerable expertise and is often time-consuming. An 18S rRNA gene-based PCR test, highly specific for the genus Acanthamoeba, has recently been reported in the molecular diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis. This PCR assay was compared with conventional microbiological tests for the diagnosis of Acanthamoeba kera...

Acanthamoeba is a protozoan pathogen that is responsible for two recognized diseases; i) a blinding keratitis, most commonly associated with contact lens wear, and ii) a rare but fatal granulomatous encephalitis that usually is limited to immunocompromised patients. The fact that Acanthamoeba infections are generally limited to avascular cornea or immunocompromised patients suggests that the no...

Three patients, women aged 69, 25 and 30 years, with refractory keratitis were found to have a rare infection with Acanthamoeba. All wore soft contact lenses. The frequency of Acanthamoeba keratitis increased in recent years. At present, an efficacious antiprotozoal therapy is available, for instance in the form of polyhexamethylene biguanide and propamidine. In cases of refractory keratitis, t...

Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoan that is widely distributed in the environment and is well recognized to produce serious human infections, including a blinding keratitis and a fatal encephalitis. This review presents our current understanding of the burden of Acanthamoeba infections on human health, their pathogenesis and pathophysiology, and molecular mechanisms associated with the d...

background: in this study morphological and molecular characterization of acan­thamoeba strains, isolated from dental unit waterlines (duwls) were surveyed and the levels of disinfection achievable in vitro by the application of ozone disinfect­ant to duwls were evaluate. methods: water samples were collected from air-water syringes, cup fillers and tap water before and at the end of the workin...

purpose : to report an atypical case of acanthamoeba keratitis. patients & methods : a 19-year-old girl presented with a history of recurrent herpetic keratitis and a history of short-time contact lens wear. laboratory work-up for herpetic, bacterial, and acanthamoeba sources were negative and the patient failied to follow up. on later presentation she had corneal necrotizing stromal ulcer need...

The mature cyst of Acanthamoeba is highly resistant to various antibiotics and therapeutic agents. Cyst wall of Acanthamoeba are composed of cellulose, acid-resistant proteins, lipids, and unidentified materials. Because cellulose is one of the primary components of the inner cyst wall, cellulose synthesis is essential to the process of cyst formation in Acanthamoeba. In this study, we hypothes...

Autophagy-related protein 8 (Atg8) is an essential component of autophagy formation and encystment of cyst-forming parasites, and some protozoa, such as, Acanthamoeba, Entamoeba, and Dictyostelium, have been reported to possess a type of Atg8. In this study, an isoform of Atg8 was identified and characterized in Acanthamoeba castellanii (AcAtg8b). AcAtg8b protein was found to encode 132 amino a...

PURPOSE Instillation of sterile 1.0 microM latex beads into the central corneal epithelium renders Chinese hamsters resistant to corneal infection with Acanthamoeba castellanii. By contrast, activation of the adaptive immune response by subcutaneous immunization with A. castellanii antigens fails to protect against Acanthamoeba keratitis. This study was undertaken to examine the mechanisms that...