title: Balamuthia mandrillaris: Further morphological observations of trophozoites by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
abstract: Additional morphological features of Balamuthia mandrillaris observed by light and electron microscopy are reported. Trophozoites were extremely pleomorphic: their cell shapes ranged from rounded to elongated and sometimes they appeared exceptionally stretched out and branched. By transmission electron microscopy it was possible to observe two different cytoplasmic areas, the ectoplasm and the endoplasm and often sections of rough endoplasmic reticulum were found in the transition zone. The cytoplasm was very fibrogranular and most of the organelles typically found in eukaryotic cells were observed. A particular finding was the presence of numerous mitochondria with a different structure from those of other free-living amoebae. The observations reported here may reinforce the morphological knowledge of this amoeba and provide a background for further analyses.
authors: Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados, México D. F., Mexico. Electronic address: goroa@cinvestav.mx.
authors: Arturo
authors: A
authors: González-Robles
authors: Departamento de Ciencias Agronómicas y Veterinarias, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico.
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: Lares-Villa
authors: Departamento de Ciencias Agronómicas y Veterinarias, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico.
authors: Luis Fernando
authors: LF
authors: Lares-Jiménez
authors: Facultad de Estudios Superiores, UNAM, Iztacala, Tlalnepantla Estado de México, Mexico.
authors: Maritza
authors: M
authors: Omaña-Molina
authors: Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados, México D. F., Mexico.
authors: Lizbeth
authors: L
authors: Salazar-Villatoro
authors: Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados, México D. F., Mexico.
authors: Adolfo
authors: A
authors: Martínez-Palomo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059611:Balamuthia mandrillaris / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008857:Microscopy, Interference
keywords: Balamuthia mandrillaris; Electron microscopy; Free-living amoebae; Trophozoites