Surveillance of Amoebic Keratitis-Causing Acanthamoebae for Potential Bacterial Endosymbionts in Ontario, Canada.

ABSTRACT: Acanthamoeba spp. are the causative pathogens of several infections, including amoebic keratitis (AK), a vision-threatening infection. Acanthamoebae from corneal specimens of patients with AK harbor bacterial endosymbionts, which may increase virulence. We sought to understand the spectrum of bacterial endosymbionts present in clinical isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. identified in our reference parasitology laboratory. Isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. obtained from our biobank of anonymized corneal scrapings were screened for potential endosymbionts by PCR using primer pairs detecting bacteria belonging to orders Chlamydiales, Rickettsiales, or Legionellales and pan16S primers. Three primer pairs specific to the 18s rRNA gene of Acanthamoeba spp. were used for the am

SUBMITTER: Karsenti N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9230791 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature