Free-living amebae (FLA) belonging to the genera Naegleria, Acanthamoeba and Hartmanella are
found in diverse water habitats worldwide. Several species of Acanthamoeba and Naegleria fowleri
can cause fatal Central Nervous System infections in humans. In the environment, Acanthamoeba,
Naegleria and Hartmanella can harbor bacteria including those that have pathogenic potential.
Biochemical, immunological, and molecular methods are available to detect, identify, and quantitate
FLA in domestic, municipal, and recreational water sources. Small or large volumes of water can be
collected, centrifuged or filtered and cultured for growth of amebae on non-nutrient agar coated with
Escherichia coli (NNA-E. coli). Several reliable and sensitive conventional polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) assays are available for specific identification of amebae. Quantitative real-time PCR assays
have been developed to quantitate the number of amebae present in the sample. Many of the molecular
assays are more rapid and sensitive than immunological and biochemical tests. Culture of samples on
NNA-E. coli plates prior to PCR allows for detection of live amebae. Includes 40 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 310 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
| Published : | 11/01/2007 |
