First Report of Vannellidae Amoebae (Vannella Spp.) Isolated From Biofilm Source
,
Abstract
Background: Members of the Vannellidae family are free-living amoebae (FLA) distributed mainly in water and soil sources. The present study reports the first isolation of this genus in the biofilm source from hospital environment in Tehran, Iran.
Methods: Biofilm samples were collected from hospital environment. Cultivation was performed in non-nutrient agar covered with a heat-killed Escherichia coli. Cloning of the suspected amoebae was done. PCR amplification and Homology analysis using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLASTn) was performed to search for the most similar reference sequences.
Results: Microscopic examination showed numerous fan-shaped amoebae and peculiar cysts different to the usual shape of typical FLA. Sequence analysis of the PCR- product revealed that the suspected amoebae are highly homologous with Vannella spp. gene (99% identity and 100% query coverage) available in the gene bank database.
Conclusion: Although Vannella spp. is not proved to be pathogenic itself, but they are capable of harboring pathogenic intracellular organisms such as Microsporidian parasites. Thus, identification of such amoebae can be of clinical importance, as they could lead to transmission of other pathogens to human.
Visvesvara GS, Moura H, Schuster FL. Pathogenic and opportunistic free living amoebae: Acanthamoeba spp, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Sappinia diploidea. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2007; 50(1):1-26.
Khan NA. Acanthamoeba, biology and pathogenesis. 1st ed.Great Britine: Caister Academic Press; 2009.
3.Marciano-Cabral F, Jamerson M, Kaneshiro ES. Free-living amoebae, Legionella and Mycobacterium in tap water supplied by a municipal drinking water utility in the USA. J Water Health. 2010; 8(1): 71-82.
Khan NA. Acanthamoeba: biology and increasing importance in human health. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2006; 30(4): 564–595.
Qvarnstrom Y, da Silva AJ, Schuster FL, Gelman BB, Visvesvara GS. Molecular confirmation of Sappinia pedata as a causative agent of amoebic encephalitis. J Infect Dis. 2009; 199: 1139–1142.
NuprasertW, Putaporntip C, Pariyakanok L, Jongwutiwes S. Identification of a novel T17 genotype of Acanthamoeba from environmental isolates and T10 genotype causing keratitis in Thailand. J Clin Microbiol. 2010; 48: 4636–4640.
Niyyati M, Lorenzo-Morales J, Rezaie S, Rahimi F, Martín-Navarro CM, Mohebali M, Maghsood AH, Farnia S, Valladares B, Rezaeian M. First report of a mixed infection due to Acanthamoeba genotype T3 and Vahlkampfia in a cosmetic soft contact lens wearer in Iran. Exp Parasitol. 2010; 126(1): 89-90.
Rezaeian M, Niyyati M. Pathogenic Free Living Amebas In Human. 1st ed. Tehran: TUMS Publication; 2010.
Visvesvara GS, Sriram R, Qvarnstorm Y, Bandyopadhyay K, Silva A, Pieniazek NJ, Cabral GA. Paravahlkampfia francinae n. sp. masquerading as an agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2009; 56: 357–366.
Page FC. A new key to freshwater and soil Gymnamoebae. Freshwater Biological Association/The Ferry House, Amble- side, Cumbria,1988.
Bovee EC. An emendation of the ameba genus Flabellula and a description of Vannella gen. nov. Trans Am Micros Soc. 1965; 84: 217–227.
Smirnov AV, Brown S. First isolation of a cyst-forming Vannella species, from soil—Vannella persistens n. sp. (Gymnamoebia, Vannellidae). Protistology. 2000; 1: 120–123.
13- Smirnov AV, Nassonova ES, Chao E, Cavalier-Smith T. Phylogeny, Evolution, and Taxonomy of Vannellid Amoebae. Protist. 2007; 158: 295—324.
Amaral-Zettler LA, Cole J, Laatsch AD, Nerad TA, Anderson OR, Reysenbach A. Vannella epipetala n. sp. Isolated from the Leaf Surface of Spondias mombin (Anacardiaceae) Growing in the Dry Forest of Costa Rica J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2006; 53(6), 522–530.
Michel R, Schmid EN, Böker T, Hager DG, Müller K-D, Hoffmann R, Seitz HM. Vannella sp. harboring Microsporidia- like organisms isolated from the contact lens and inflamed eye of a female keratitis patient. Parasitol Res. 2000; 86: 514–520.
Hofmann R, Michel R, Schmid EN, Muller K-D. Natural infection with microsporidian organisms (KW19) in Vannella sp. (Gymnamoebia) isolated from a domestic tap-water supply. Parasitol Res. 1998; 84: 164-166.
Lasjerdi Z, Niyyati M, Haghighi A, Shahabi S, Tahvildar Biderouni F, Taghipour N, Eftekhar M, Nazemalhosseini Mojarad E. Potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae isolated from hospital wards with immunodeficient patients in Tehran, Iran Parasitol Res. 2011; DOI 10.1007/s00436-011-2288-5.
Niyyati M, Lorenzo-Morales J, Rezaie S, Rahimi F, Mohebali M, Maghsood AH,Motevalli-Haghi A, Martín-Navarro CM, Farnia Sh, Valladares B, Rezaeian M. Genotyping of Acanthamoeba isolates from clinical and environmental specimens in Iran. Exp Parasitol. 2009; 121: 242-5.
Scheid P. Mechanism of intrusion of a microsporidian- like organism into the nucleus of host amoebae (Vannella sp.) isolated from a keratitis patient. Parasitol Res. 2007; 101: 1097-1102.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 6 No 4 (2011) | |
| Section | Articles | |
| Keywords | ||
| Vannella Biofilm Iran | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
