title: Acanthamoeba genotypes T3 and T4 as causative agents of amoebic keratitis in Mexico.
abstract: Free-living amoebae (FLA) are widely distributed worldwide. Some genera included in this group act as opportunistic pathogens causing fatal encephalitis and Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), a sight-threatening infection of the cornea associated with the use of soft contact lenses that could even end in blindness if an early diagnosis and treatment are not achieved. Furthermore, the numbers of AK cases keep rising worldwide mainly due to an increase of contact lens wearers and lack of hygiene in the maintenance of lenses and their cases. In Mexico, no cases of AK have been described so far although the isolation of other pathogenic FLA such as Naegleria fowleri and Balamuthia mandrillaris from both clinical and environmental sources has been reported. The present study reports two cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis diagnosed in two patients admitted to the Hospital "Luis Sánchez Bulnes" for Blindness Prevention in Mexico City, Mexico. Corneal scrapes and contact lenses were checked for the presence of Acanthamoeba strains in both patients. Strains were axenized after initial isolation to classify at the genotype level. After sequencing the diagnostic fragment 3 (DF3) region located on the 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene of Acanthamoeba, genotype T3 and genotype T4 were identified in clinical case 1 and 2, respectively. To our knowledge, these are the first reported cases of AK in Mexico in the literature and the first description of Acanthamoeba genotypes T3 and T4 as causative agents of amoebic infection.
authors.affiliation: School of Superior Studies Iztacala, UNAM, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Mexico State, Mexico. maritzaomanam@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Maritza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omaña-Molina
authors.affiliation: Hospital "Luis Sánchez Bulnes" for Blindness Prevention, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vanzzini-Zago
authors.affiliation: School of Superior Studies Iztacala, UNAM, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Mexico State, Mexico.
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Robles
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Lizbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salazar-Villatoro
authors.affiliation: School of Superior Studies Iztacala, UNAM, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Mexico State, Mexico.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Flores
authors.affiliation: Hospital "Luis Sánchez Bulnes" for Blindness Prevention, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oregon-Miranda
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of The Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lorenzo-Morales
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Adolfo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez-Palomo
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015823:Acanthamoeba Keratitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D000328:Adult; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000469:parasitology; D003315:Cornea / Q000469:parasitology; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal
keywords: Acanthamoeba keratitis; Contact lenses; Genotype; Mexico