background: acanthamoeba castellanii is the important cause of amoebic keratitis in iran. the key molecule in pathogene­sis of acanthamoeba keratitis is mannose binding protein (mbp) led to adhesion of amoeba to corneal epithelium. subse­quent to adhesion other cytopathic effects occur. the goal of this study was to identify the molecular characterization of a gene encoding mbp in an iranian is...

Among the many species of free-living amoebae infecting humans, only Naegleria fowleri, a few species of Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia mandrillaris recently Sappinia diploïdea and Paravahlkampfia Francina are responsible for human diseases especially deadly encephalitis outside of Acanthamoeba keratitis related. In the Central African Republic (CAR), no studies have previously been conducted about f...

BACKGROUND Acanthamoeba keratitis develops by pathogenic Acanthamoeba such as A. palestinensis. Indeed this species is one of the known causative agents of amoebic keratitis in Iran. Mannose Binding Protein (MBP) is the main pathogenicity factors for developing this sight threatening disease. We aimed to characterize MBP gene in pathogenic Acanthamoeba isolates such as A. palestinensis. METHO...

Acanthamoeba species are known to cause 2 well-described entities: (1) granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), which usually affects immunocompromised hosts, and (2) keratitis, which typically follows trauma associated with contamination of water or contact lenses. Less common manifestations include pneumonitis and a subacute granulomatous dermatitis. We describe a case of granulomatous derma...

Some free-living amoebae are a potential threat to human health. The best known species are those of the genus Acanthamoeba Volkonsky, 1931, which cause Acanthamoeba keratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and other forms of tissue inflammation. The aim of the present study was to search for potential pathogenic genotypes of free-living amoeba in the sand in children’s playgrounds. Our re...

Acanthamoeba castellanii is member of free living amoeba that may cause painful sight-threatening keratitis and life threatening encephalitis which involves central nervous system. Treatments for both infections are problematic because of the amoebic cysts resistance to therapeutic agents. Here we evaluated in vitro strength of methanolic seed extract of Peganum harmala on Acanthamoeba cysts an...

Acanthamoeba T4 genotype is the most prevalent genotype associated with amoebic keratitis. Acanthamoeba keratitis therapy is difficult due to transformation of trophozoite to cyst stage, which hinders the treatment of the disease. Although encystation assists the organism to survive against the chemotherapeutic compounds, the precise mechanism of encystation remains poorly understood. The purpo...

OBJECTIVES Amoebic keratitis is difficult to treat, without total efficacy in some patients because of cysts that are less susceptible than trophozoites to the usual treatments. We investigated here the in vitro effectiveness of caspofungin, a new antifungal, against three species of Acanthamoeba. METHODS Trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba castellanii, Acanthamoeba culbertsoni and Acantha...

A 38-year-old male presented with pain and redness in his left eye. He had a history of wearing contact lenses. His ophthalmic examination revealed a large corneal ulcer with surrounding infiltrate. Cultures were isolated from the contact lenses, lens solutions, storage cases, and conjunctivae of both eyes and also corneal scrapings of the left eye. Fortified vancomycin and amikacin drops were ...