Language
Country/Area
No result found
What are the pathogens associated with Acanthamoeba? How do they increase resistance?
Acanthamoeba is a common genus of amoeba that is commonly found in soil, freshwater, and other habitats. These amoebas have two life cycle stages: a metabolically active vegetative stage and a pressure-tolerant vesicle stage. Although Acanthamoeba are often viewed as free-living bacterial predators, they are also opportunistic pathogens that can cause serious infections and even death in humans and other animals.
The background of Acanthamoeba becoming pathogenic can be traced back to their widespread distribution in the environment, which makes them potential pathogens.
Distribution of Acanthamoeba
Acanthamoeba spp. are highly common in natural environments and are found throughout the world. They can be isolated from soil, air, sewage, seawater, chlorinated swimming pools, tap water, bottled water, dental equipment and hospitals. Additionally, these amoebas can be found on human skin, in the nose, throat, and intestines.
Association with Disease
Acanthamoeba can cause a variety of diseases, including keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. The latter is particularly common in immunocompromised patients. Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis is caused by amoeba that enters the body through an open wound and spreads through the bloodstream to the brain. The host's immune response and secreted amoeba proteases cause brain swelling, and the mortality rate of infected people is as high as 95%.
Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE)
Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis is considered one of the most lethal forms of amoeba infection. The disease is often accompanied by neurological symptoms, including headaches, seizures, and changes in mental status. These symptoms worsen over time and eventually lead to death. Treatment of this infection is further complicated by the fact that it is often associated with underlying health problems such as immune deficiency, diabetes, and cancer.
There is currently no effective diagnosis or treatment for Acanthamoeba infection.
Acanthamoebic keratitis
Acanthamoeba strains in the eye may cause Acanthamoebic keratitis, which may lead to corneal ulcers and even blindness. This condition is most common among contact lens wearers who do not sterilize their lenses properly, with the main causes including not washing hands before handling the lenses. Conventional multi-purpose contact lens solutions are not very effective against Acanthamoeba, but solutions based on hydrogen peroxide have good disinfecting properties.
Serves as a reservoir for bacteria
A variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria can grow in Acanthamoeba, including Legionella pneumococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and some strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Replication of these bacteria in Acanthamoeba is closely associated with enhanced macrophage proliferation and increased resistance to certain antibiotics. Therefore, Acanthamoeba is not only a widespread amoeba in the environment, but also may serve as a reservoir of human pathogens.
Acanthamoeba has a unique ecological role and may serve as a link to emerging human pathogens.
How to increase drug resistance?
The antibiotic resistance of Acanthamoeba mainly stems from its interaction with a variety of bacteria. When the bacteria multiply inside the amoeba, it may make it more resistant to the host immune system. In addition, the bacteria growing inside can modulate the amoeba's physiology, making some traditional treatments significantly less effective. For example, internal reproduction of certain bacteria has been shown to evade the inhibitory effects of antibiotics, leading to the persistence and expansion of infections.
Challenges Ahead
Because infections caused by Acanthamoeba are not common, clinicians often underdiagnose them, resulting in delayed treatment. Although there are currently some FDA-approved drugs that show high killing rates against this amoeba, translating these laboratory results into effective clinical treatments remains a major challenge. In addition, research on Acanthamoeba infection needs to be strengthened, and finding more effective diagnostic and treatment methods will be the focus in the future.
ConclusionAs research on Acanthamoeba and its related pathogens continues to deepen, its enhanced drug resistance and potential hazards still require great attention from the medical community. In the face of this increasingly severe reality, how should all sectors of society work together to improve public health and safety?
