Isolation of Acanthamoeba species in surface waters of Gilan province-north of Iran

  • Mohammad Reza Mahmoudi
  • , Niloofar Taghipour
  • , Mohammad Eftekhar
  • , Ali Haghighi
  • , Panagiotis Karanis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We analyzed water samples to determine the prevalence of free-living Acanthamoeba in water sources from Gilan, greater area, Iran. A total of 27 surface water samples were collected from environmental sources, including natural (rivers, lakes, springs, and lagoon) and freshwater source. The samples were filtrated and transferred to non-nutrient agar plates seeded with Escherichia coli and incubated for 2 to 7 days at 30°C or 42°C. The plates were examined by microscopy to morphologically identify Acanthamoeba species. Following DNA extraction, PCR was used to confirm themicroscopically identification. A total of 19 out of 27 samples (70.3%) were positive for Acanthamoeba species based on the morphological criteria, and 14 (73.7%) were confirmed by PCR method. The high frequency of Acanthamoeba spp. in different environmental water sources of Gilan is an alert for the public health related to water sources in Iran.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)473-477
Number of pages5
JournalParasitology Research
Volume110
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2012
Externally publishedYes

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

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