The isolation of Naegleria italica from Peru indicates that this potentially pathogenic species occurs worldwide.
The amoeboflagellate genus Naegleria includes a few species that are virulent in experimental animals. One of these species, Naegleria italica, has been isolated from the environment only in Italy and Australia. I report here the isolation of a strain of N. italica from a water sample collected in Peru. This broadens the occurrence of this species to encompass three different continents. This new N. italica isolate from Peru has the same ITS1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS2 sequence as that of the type strain from Italy and the isolate from Australia. From the same water body in Peru a Naegleria strain was isolated that differs from N. italica by only one additional base pair in the ITS2 sequence. The maximum growth temperature tolerated by this particular isolate is 40 degrees C, which is different from that of N. italica, which is 42 degrees C.
De Jonckheere
Johan F
JF
Scientific Institute of Public Health, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. jdjonckh@ben.vub.ac.be
D000562:Amebiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000032:analysis; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009253:Naegleria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000469:parasitology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S