PMID- 36175838
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20221003
LR  - 20221003
IS  - 1471-2334 (Electronic)
IS  - 1471-2334 (Linking)
VI  - 22
IP  - 1
DP  - 2022 Sep 29
TI  - Assessment of genotypes, endosymbionts and clinical characteristics of 
      Acanthamoeba recovered from ocular infection.
PG  - 757
LID - 10.1186/s12879-022-07741-4 [doi]
LID - 757
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acanthamoeba is an emerging pathogen, infamous for its resilience 
      against antiprotozoal compounds, disinfectants and harsh environments. It is 
      known to cause keratitis, a sight-threatening, painful and difficult to treat 
      corneal infection which is often reported among contact lens wearers and patients 
      with ocular trauma. Acanthamoeba comprises over 24 species and currently 23 
      genotypes (T1-T23) have been identified. AIMS: This retrospective study was 
      designed to examine the Acanthamoeba species and genotypes recovered from 
      patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), determine the presence of 
      endosymbionts in ocular isolates of Acanthamoeba and review the clinical 
      presentations. METHODOLOGY: Thirteen culture-confirmed AK patients treated in a 
      tertiary eye care facility in Hyderabad, India from February to October 2020 were 
      included in this study. The clinical manifestations, medications and visual 
      outcomes of all patients were obtained from medical records. The Acanthamoeba 
      isolates were identified by sequencing the ribosomal nuclear subunit (rns) gene. 
      Acanthamoeba isolates were assessed for the presence of bacterial or fungal 
      endosymbionts using molecular assays, PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization 
      (FISH). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 33 years (SD +/- 17.4; 95% CI 
      22.5 to 43.5 years). Six (46.2%) cases had AK associated risk factors; four 
      patients had ocular trauma and two were contact lens wearers. A. culbertsoni 
      (6/13, 46.2%) was the most common species, followed by A. polyphaga and A. 
      triangularis. Most of the isolates (12/13) belonged to genotype T4 and one was a 
      T12; three sub-clusters T4A, T4B, and T4F were identified within the T4 genotype. 
      There was no significant association between Acanthamoeba types and clinical 
      outcomes. Eight (61.5%) isolates harboured intracellular bacteria and one 
      contained Malassezia restricta. The presence of intracellular microbes was 
      associated with a higher proportion of stromal infiltrates (88.9%, 8/9), 
      epithelial defect (55.6%, 5/9) and hypopyon (55.6%, 5/9) compared to 50% (2/4), 
      25% (1/4) and 25% (1/4) AK cases without intracellular microbes, respectively. 
      CONCLUSIONS: Genotype T4 was the predominant isolate in southern India. This is 
      the second report of T12 genotype identified from AK patient in India, which is 
      rarely reported worldwide. The majority of the Acanthamoeba clinical isolates in 
      this study harboured intracellular microbes, which may impact clinical 
      characteristics of AK.
CI  - (c) 2022. The Author(s).
FAU - Rayamajhee, Binod
AU  - Rayamajhee B
AD  - School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 
      Sydney, Australia. b.rayamajhee@unsw.edu.au.
FAU - Sharma, Savitri
AU  - Sharma S
AD  - Jhaveri Microbiology Centre, Prof. Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Hyderabad 
      Eye Research Foundation, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Kallam Anji Reddy 
      Campus, Hyderabad, India.
FAU - Willcox, Mark
AU  - Willcox M
AD  - School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 
      Sydney, Australia.
FAU - Henriquez, Fiona L
AU  - Henriquez FL
AD  - Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Health and 
      Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Paisley, PA1 2BE, 
      Scotland, UK.
FAU - Rajagopal, Raksheeth Nathan
AU  - Rajagopal RN
AD  - The Cornea Institute, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India.
FAU - Shrestha, Gauri Shankar
AU  - Shrestha GS
AD  - School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 
      Sydney, Australia.
FAU - Subedi, Dinesh
AU  - Subedi D
AD  - School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
FAU - Bagga, Bhupesh
AU  - Bagga B
AD  - The Cornea Institute, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India.
FAU - Carnt, Nicole
AU  - Carnt N
AD  - School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, 
      Sydney, Australia.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20220929
PL  - England
TA  - BMC Infect Dis
JT  - BMC infectious diseases
JID - 100968551
RN  - 0 (Disinfectants)
SB  - IM
MH  - *Acanthamoeba/genetics
MH  - *Acanthamoeba Keratitis
MH  - *Disinfectants
MH  - *Eye Infections
MH  - Genotype
MH  - Humans
MH  - In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
MH  - Retrospective Studies
PMC - PMC9520893
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Acanthamoeba
OT  - Endosymbionts
OT  - Genotyping
OT  - Keratitis
COIS- The authors declare no competing interests.
EDAT- 2022/09/30 06:00
MHDA- 2022/10/04 06:00
PMCR- 2022/09/29
CRDT- 2022/09/29 23:43
PHST- 2022/05/05 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2022/09/12 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2022/09/29 23:43 [entrez]
PHST- 2022/09/30 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2022/10/04 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2022/09/29 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1186/s12879-022-07741-4 [pii]
AID - 7741 [pii]
AID - 10.1186/s12879-022-07741-4 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - BMC Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 29;22(1):757. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07741-4.