Acanthamoeba, and you can too!

Although we have not covered material on parasites yet in our class, I wanted to talk a little this week about the significance of Acanthamoeba species, a protozoan genus that can commonly cause several different complications affecting different parts of the body.

Acanthamoeba species can be found in the soil and freshwater environments in many places around the world, and typically feed on bacteria which also reside in these environments.  However, some opportunistic species can become a health risk to people.  Depending on the site or method of entry into the body, this can result in keratitis and encephalitis/meningitis.  Amoeboid Keratitis occurs when the amoeba comes into contact with the eye, and can lead to blindness in severe cases; in many cases this results from improper use of tap water to clean contact lenses.  Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis occurs when the amoeba enters the nasal mucus membrane and migrates to the brain to feed.  Although very rare, this type of infection usually results in death.¹

Since these organisms can encyst, they are extremely difficult for the host’s immune system to rid itself, and many drugs are ineffective as well.

Acanthamoeba species are also carriers for many pathogenically significant bacteria and virus species, and therefore may operate as a vector for infection for these pathogens which include Legionella species, Staphylococcus aureus, and Campylobacter species.¹ 

So remember, never use tap water to clean your contacts or flush out your sinuses!

Reference

1.      Wikipedia contributors. "Acanthamoeba." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Jun. 2014. Web. 20 Jun. 2014.