Diversity of Free-Living Amoebae in New Zealand Groundwater and Their Ability to Feed on Legionella pneumophila.

ABSTRACT: Free-living amoebae (FLA) are common in both natural and engineered freshwater ecosystems. They play important roles in biofilm control and contaminant removal through the predation of bacteria and other taxa. Bacterial predation by FLA is also thought to contribute to pathogen dispersal and infectious disease transmission in freshwater environments via the egestion of viable bacteria. Despite their importance in shaping freshwater microbial communities, the diversity and function of FLA in many freshwater ecosystems are poorly understood. In this study, we isolated and characterized FLA from two groundwater sites in Canterbury, New Zealand using microbiological, microscopic, and molecular techniques. Different methods for groundwater FLA isolation and enrichment were trialed and optimized

SUBMITTER: Ariyadasa S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11357516 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature