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Revisiting the Acanthamoeba species that form star-shaped cysts (genotypes T7, T8, T9, and T17): characterization of seven new Brazilian environmental isolates and phylogenetic inferences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2011

ANA C. M. MAGLIANO ,
MARTA M. G. TEIXEIRA  and
SILVIA C. ALFIERI
ANA C. M. MAGLIANO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, CEP 05508-000, São Paulo, S. P., Brazil
MARTA M. G. TEIXEIRA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, CEP 05508-000, São Paulo, S. P., Brazil
SILVIA C. ALFIERI*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, CEP 05508-000, São Paulo, S. P., Brazil
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: +55 11 30917417. E-mail: salfieri@icb.usp.br
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Summary

Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are the agents of both opportunistic and non-opportunistic infections and are frequently isolated from the environment. Of the 17 genotypes (T1–T17) identified thus far, 4 (T7, T8, T9, and T17) accommodate the rarely investigated species of morphological group I, those that form large, star-shaped cysts. We report the isolation and characterization of 7 new Brazilian environmental Acanthamoeba isolates, all assigned to group I. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial (∼1200 bp) SSU rRNA gene sequences placed the new isolates in the robustly supported clade composed of the species of morphological group I. One of the Brazilian isolates is closely related to A. comandoni (genotype T9), while the other 6, together with 2 isolates recently assigned to genotype T17, form a homogeneous, well-supported group (2 0% sequence divergence) that likely represents a new Acanthamoeba species. Thermotolerance, osmotolerance, and cytophatic effects, features often associated with pathogenic potential, were also examined. The results indicated that all 7 Brazilian isolates grow at temperatures up to 40°C, and resist under hyperosmotic conditions. Additionally, media conditioned by each of the new Acanthamoeba isolates induced the disruption of SIRC and HeLa cell monolayers.

Keywords

AcanthamoebaAcanthamoeba astronyxisAcanthamoeba tubiashiAcanthamoeba comandoniSSU rRNA genotypingSSU rRNA-based phylogenies
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 139 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 45 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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