title: Infection in a rat model reactivates attenuated virulence after long-term axenic culture of Acanthamoeba spp.
abstract: Prolonged culturing of many microorganisms leads to the loss of virulence and a reduction of their infective capacity. However, little is known about the changes in the pathogenic strains of Acanthamoeba after long culture periods. Our study evaluated the effect of prolonged culturing on the invasiveness of different isolates of Acanthamoeba in an in vivo rat model. ATCC strains of Acanthamoeba, isolates from the environment and clinical cases were evaluated. The in vivo model was effective in establishing the infection and differentiating the pathogenicity of the isolates and re-isolates. The amoebae cultured in the laboratory for long periods were less virulent than those that were recently isolated, confirming the importance of passing Acanthamoeba strains in animal models.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Laboratório de Parasitologia, Porto AlegreRS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carolina De Marco
authors.initials: Cde M
authors.lastname: Veríssimo
authors.forename: Vinícius José
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Maschio
authors.forename: Ana Paula Folmer
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandelli
authors.forename: Marilise Brittes
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Rott
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D000562:Amebiasis / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D061245:Axenic Culture; D008297:Male; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D014774:Virulence / Q000187:drug effects*