title: Is Acanthamoeba pathogenicity associated with intracellular bacteria?
abstract: In addition to the possible role of Acanthamoeba as an evolutionary precursor of pathogenicity in microbial pathogens, it has been suggested that intracellular bacteria or other microbial endosymbionts may also enhance the pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba. Using transmission electron microscopy, polymerase chain reaction and simple culturing, our findings did not reveal any apparent evidence of microbial presence intracellularly of a recently recovered clinical isolate of Acanthamoeba. Based on these findings, it is tempting to speculate that the virulence of Acanthamoeba may not be attributed to the pathogenicity of the endosymbiont alone.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, England, UK.
authors.forename: Graeme Neil
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rittig
authors.forename: Ruqaiyyah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.forename: Naveed Ahmed
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015823:Acanthamoeba Keratitis / Q000469:parasitology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003315:Cornea / Q000469:parasitology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial