Acanthamoeba is a genus of amoebae that are commonly recovered from soil, fresh water, and other habitats. Acanthamoeba has two evolutive forms, the metabolically active trophozoite and a dormant, stress-resistant cyst. Trophozoites are small, usually 15 to 25 μm in length and amoeboid in shape. In nature, Acanthamoeba species are free-living bacterivores, but in certain situations, they can cause infections (acanthamebiasis) in humans and other animals.
Keratitis is a condition in which the eye's cornea, the clear dome on the front surface of the eye, becomes inflamed. The condition is often marked by moderate to intense pain and usually involves any of the following symptoms: pain, impaired eyesight, photophobia, red eye and a 'gritty' sensation.
Amoebozoa is a major taxonomic group containing about 2,400 described species of amoeboid protists, often possessing blunt, fingerlike, lobose pseudopods and tubular mitochondrial cristae. In traditional and currently no longer supported classification schemes, Amoebozoa is ranked as a phylum within either the kingdom Protista or the kingdom Protozoa. In the classification favored by the International Society of Protistologists, it is retained as an unranked "supergroup" within Eukaryota. Molecular genetic analysis supports Amoebozoa as a monophyletic clade. Modern studies of eukaryotic phylogenetic trees identify it as the sister group to Opisthokonta, another major clade which contains both fungi and animals as well as several other clades comprising some 300 species of unicellular eukaryotes. Amoebozoa and Opisthokonta are sometimes grouped together in a high-level taxon, variously named Unikonta, Amorphea or Opimoda.
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare disease in which amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba invade the clear portion of the front (cornea) of the eye. It affects roughly 100 people in the United States each year. Acanthamoeba are protozoa found nearly ubiquitously in soil and water and can cause infections of the skin, eyes, and central nervous system.
Parachlamydiaceae is a family of bacteria in the order Chlamydiales. Species in this family have a Chlamydia–like cycle of replication and their ribosomal RNA genes are 80–90% identical to ribosomal genes in the Chlamydiaceae. The Parachlamydiaceae naturally infect amoebae and can be grown in cultured Vero cells. The Parachlamydiaceae are not recognized by monoclonal antibodies that detect Chlamydiaceae lipopolysaccharide.
Auranofin is a gold salt classified by the World Health Organization as an antirheumatic agent. It has the brand name Ridaura.
Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) is a rare, usually fatal, subacute-to-chronic central nervous system disease caused by certain species of free-living amoebae of the genera Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia and Sappinia. The term is most commonly used with Acanthamoeba. In more modern references, the term "balamuthia amoebic encephalitis" (BAE) is commonly used when Balamuthia mandrillaris is the cause.
Miltefosine, sold under the trade name Impavido among others, is a medication mainly used to treat leishmaniasis and free-living amoeba infections such as Naegleria fowleri and Balamuthia mandrillaris. This includes the three forms of leishmaniasis: cutaneous, visceral and mucosal. It may be used with liposomal amphotericin B or paromomycin. It is taken by mouth.
Buffered charcoal yeast extract (BCYE) agar is a selective growth medium used to culture or grow certain types of bacteria, particularly the Gram-negative species Legionella pneumophila. It has also been used for the laboratory diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis, Francisella and Nocardia.
USS Capable (AM-155) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the United States Navy during World War II. In 1945, she was transferred to the Soviet Union and then served in the Soviet Navy as T-339.
Hexamidine is an antiseptic and disinfectant. Hexomedine is the trade name of a diisethionate solution (1/1.000) of hexamidine. Hexamidine is used primarily as its diisethionate salt, which is more water-soluble than the dihydrochloride. The dihydrochloride was first synthesized and patented as a trypanocide for May & Baker in 1939. Its amoebicidal properties emerged in the 1990s. The exact mechanism of its biocidal action is unknown, but presumed similar to quaternary ammonium compounds, involving binding to the negatively charged lipid membranes of pathogens. Hexamidine and its shorter congener, propamidine, are used as antiseptics and preservatives in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. They are particularly used for the topical treatment of acanthamoebiasis.
In enzymology, a myosin-heavy-chain kinase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Highway 339 is a highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from Highway 334 at Avonlea to Highway 39, 10 km (6 mi) north-west of Drinkwater. Highway 339 is about 49 km (30 mi) long.
Polyhexanide is a polymer used as a disinfectant and antiseptic. In dermatological use, it is spelled polihexanide (INN) and sold under the names Lavasept, Serasept, Prontosan, and Omnicide. PHMB has been shown to be effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Aspergillus brasiliensis, enterococci, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
An amebicide is an agent that is destructive to amoeba, especially parasitic amoeba that cause amoebiasis.
Cutaneous amoebiasis, refers to a form of amoebiasis that presents primarily in the skin. It can be caused by Acanthamoeba or Entamoeba histolytica. When associated with Acanthamoeba, it is also known as "cutaneous acanthamoebiasis". Balamuthia mandrillaris can also cause cutaneous amoebiasis, but can prove fatal if the amoeba enters the bloodstream
Acanthamoebidae is a family of single-celled eukaryotes within the group Amoebozoa.
Acanthamoeba infection is a cutaneous condition resulting from Acanthamoeba that may result in various skin lesions. Acanthamoeba strains can also infect human eyes causing Acanthamoeba keratitis.
"Procabacteriaceae" is a Candidatus family of uncultivated Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria. The sole genus, "Procabacter", was identified as an obligate endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba.
Amoebozoa of the free living genus Acanthamoeba and the social amoeba genus Dictyostelium are single celled eukaryotic organisms that feed on bacteria, fungi, and algae through phagocytosis, with digestion occurring in phagolysosomes. Amoebozoa are present in most terrestrial ecosystems including soil and freshwater. Amoebozoa contain a vast array of symbionts that range from transient to permanent infections, confer a range of effects from mutualistic to pathogenic, and can act as environmental reservoirs for animal pathogenic bacteria. As single celled phagocytic organisms, amoebas simulate the function and environment of immune cells like macrophages, and as such their interactions with bacteria and other microbes are of great importance in understanding functions of the human immune system, as well as understanding how microbiomes can originate in eukaryotic organisms.
