Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Parasitology 1735-7020 10 3 2015 10 17 Evaluation of Ozone Application in Dental Unit Water Lines Contaminated with Pathogenic Acanthamoeba 410 419 EN Wafaa HIKAL Parasitology Lab, Water Pollution Research Department, National Research Centre, Egypt Basma ZAKI Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Surgery and Oral Medicine Department, National Research Centre, Egypt Hany SABRY Laser applications in Fixed Prosthodontics, Prosthodontics Research Department, National Research Centre, Egypt 2015 10 14 2015 10 14 Background: In this study morphological and molecular characterization of Acan­thamoeba strains, isolated from dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) were surveyed and the levels of disinfection achievable in vitro by the application of ozone disinfect­ant to DUWLs were evaluate. Methods: Water samples were collected from air-water syringes, cup fillers and tap water before and at the end of the working day. They were cultured on non-nutrient agar (NNA) plates. Species identification was carried out with a PCR assay based on sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene. The cellular response to ozone was tested on Acanthamoeba cyst with different doses at different contact time in vitro twice. Results: Prevalence rates for Acanthamoeba contamination were 100, 100 and 72% for air-water syringes, cup fillers and tap water, respectively. The morphological analysis revealed the presence of A. castellanii, A. griffin, A. hatchitti and A. lenticulata. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences showed the four strains to be closely related to a sequence type (T3, T4, T5 and T11). Acanthamoeba cells were stained with try­pan blue, which revealed killed of Acanthamoeba instantaneously after 10 minutes in ozonized water. There was no growth of Acanthamoeba occurred after ozone treat­ment in water bottles for 5 minutes with a flow rate of 500 mg/hour. Conclusion: Ozone can play an important role in controlling the problem of contami­nation of DUWLs as a potent disinfectant. https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/306 https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/download/306/283