Identification of free-living amoebae isolated from tap water in Istanbul, Turkey


Ustunturk-Onan M., Walochnik J.

EXPERIMENTAL PARASITOLOGY, cilt.195, ss.34-37, 2018 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 195
  • Basım Tarihi: 2018
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.exppara.2018.10.002
  • Dergi Adı: EXPERIMENTAL PARASITOLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.34-37
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Free-living amoebae, Acanthamoeba, Vermamoeba, Tap water, 18S rDNA, ACANTHAMOEBA GENOTYPE T4, DRINKING-WATER, LEGIONELLA-PNEUMOPHILA, MOLECULAR-IDENTIFICATION, DISINFECTION TREATMENTS, BACTERIA, NAEGLERIA, KERATITIS, PROTOZOA, GENUS
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are widely spread in the environment and also known to cause rare but often serious infections. The present work focuses on a local survey on FLA. It is essential to know the prevalence and distribution of these microorganisms in order to get infections caused by them under control. In this study, FLA isolated from domestic tap water samples from homes of contact lens wearers were identified by morphology and by 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Morphological analysis and partial sequencing of the 18S rDNA revealed the presence of Acanthamoeba genotype T4 and Vermamoeba vermiformis in the investigated tap water samples. Naegleria fowleri, Balamuthia mandrillaris, and Sappinia spp. were not detected during this study. It was shown that species of FLA known to cause eye infections in humans are widely distributed in tap water in Istanbul, Turkey. Contact lens wearers should be aware of the risk of contamination from tap water and strictly apply stringent contact lens hygiene. With this study, we established Acandrantoeba genotype T4 and Vermamoeba vermiformis as contaminants of tap water in Istanbul.