title: [Acanthamoeba sp. keratitis: first case confirmed by isolation and molecular typification in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina].
abstract: Some species of the Acanthamoeba genus cause keratitis, a very painful, most likely unilateral corneal infection , associated with eye and vision impairment. We here present a case of a 31-year-old female patient, a regular user of soft contact lenses without good practices of lens hygiene and handling. The patient attended medical consultation after two months of inflammation and pain in her right eye. After ophthalmological studies, and due to suspicion of a parasitic infection, a biopsy was performed and the sample submitted for bacteriological and parasitological analyses. Moreover, contact lens holders and lens cleaning solutions were studied. The samples yielded negative results for bacterial infection. However, cultivation of all samples showed the presence of amoeboid parasites. Isolated amoebae were morphologically and molecularly classified as members of the Acanthamoeba genus. This is the first case of keratitis caused by Acanthamoeba in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province, where the parasite was identified by specific and sensitive molecular techniques.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Parasitología Clínica, Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gertiser
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giagante
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sgattoni
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Basabe
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivero
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luján
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Occhionero
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paniccia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Visciarelli
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Costamagna
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015823:Acanthamoeba Keratitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001706:Biopsy; D018639:Contact Lens Solutions; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic / Q000469:parasitology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004340:Drug Contamination; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D018639:Contact Lens Solutions; D016054:DNA, Protozoan