Diversity of free-living amoeba in New Zealand groundwater
In this study, we isolated and characterized Free-living amoeba (FLA) from two groundwater sites in Canterbury, New Zealand using microbiological, microscopic, and molecular techniques. Different methods for groundwater FLA isolation and enrichment were trialled and optimized. The ability of these isolated FLA to predate on human pathogen Legionella pneumophila was assessed. FLA were identified by nanopore 18S metagenomic amplicon sequencing.