title: Occurrence and distribution of Naegleria species from thermal spring environments in Taiwan.
abstract: Naegleria spp. is a free-living amoeba that can be found in the natural environment. A number of Naegleria spp. can cause fatal infections in the central nervous system in humans and animals, and the most important source of infection is through direct water contact. In this study, water samples from various thermal springs were taken from four thermal spring areas. Naegleria spp. was detected via culture confirmation and molecular taxonomic identification. Among the 60 samples obtained, Naegleria spp. was identified in 26 (43·3%) samples. The identified species included Naegleria australiensis, Naegleria gruberi, Naegleria lovaniensis and Naegleria mexicana. The presence of living Naegleria spp. was significantly associated with elevated pH value in the water sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, we examined the presence of living Naegleria spp. in thermal spring waters in south-eastern Taiwan. Naegleria spp. was isolated and culture-confirmed from thermal spring water. Naegleria fowleri was not found in all water samples, and Naegleria australiensis was the most common Naegleria genotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Minhsiung Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan.
authors.forename: P-M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: M-C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.forename: B-M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: C-J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.forename: Y-C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: N-H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S-M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Y-L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D045482:Hot Springs / Q000469:parasitology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009253:Naegleria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013624:Taiwan; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry / Q000469:parasitology*; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D014867:Water