Killing acanthamoebae with polyaminopropyl biguanide: quantitation and kinetics.
The two Acanthamoeba species most often implicated in corneal keratitis, A. castellanii and A. polyphaga, were exposed as cysts to polyaminopropyl biguanide (PAPB), a commonly used antimicrobial agent. Killing of amoeba cysts was rapid and extensive, with fewer than 2% of either species surviving 30 s of exposure to > or = 45 ppm of PAPB. Killing kinetics were biphasic, and further exposures of 15 min to 1 h killed greater than 90% of those surviving initial killing. This potency of PAPB, together with its low toxicity to humans when ingested or applied topically, underscores the potential of PAPB as an antiamoebic agent.
Public Health Research Institute, New York, New York 10016.
R M
RM
Burger
R J
RJ
Franco
K
K
Drlica
D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001645:Biguanides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
D001645:Biguanides; C064420:polyaminopropylbiguanide