title: Identification and quantification of the Acanthamoeba species and genotypes from reservoirs in Taiwan by molecular techniques.
abstract: The occurrence of Acanthamoeba was investigated from 21 main reservoirs of Taiwan with 12 (57.1%) testing positive. Analysis of the 18S rRNA gene PCR product was performed in order to identify the Acanthamoeba isolates. Acanthamoeba spp. concentrations were determined according to TaqMan real-time qPCR. Acanthamoeba genotypes of all isolates were identified T4. The species were categorized to Acanthamoeba culbertsoni, Acanthamoeba polyphaga, Acanthamoeba castellanii and Acanthamoeba hatchetti. The concentration of Acanthamoeba spp. in detected positive reservoir water samples was in the range of 3.0-1.8 × 10(3) cells/L. These results highlight the importance of Acanthamoeba in reservoirs of potential pathogens and its possible role in the spread of bacterial genera with interest in public and environmental health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Po-Min
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: bmhsu@eq.ccu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Bing-Mu
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chen-Te
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center for General Education, Cheng-Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Shih-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Beauty Science and Graduate Institute of Beauty Science Technology, Chienkuo Technology University, Changhua, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Erl-Shyh
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Health, Yuanpei University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Jyh-Larng
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Health, Yuanpei University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Nan-Min
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Wen-Tsai
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D048248:Acanthamoeba castellanii / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013624:Taiwan; D014867:Water / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; D014867:Water
keywords: Acanthamoeba; Acanthamoeba keratitis; PCR; TaqMan real-time qPCR