Environmental Detection and Genetic Profiling of Acanthamoeba in High-Risk Medical Facilities.

Abstract

Background: Acanthamoeba is one of the most common environmental protozoans with a global distribution. Acanthamoeba parasites can be isolated from contact lenses, cleaning solutions, ventilation systems, dental treatment units, dialysis units, and emergency showers. Since the genus Acanthamoeba can lead to dangerous infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients, monitoring medical centers and hospitals admitting these patients, who are more susceptible to these infections, is of great importance. This study aimed to isolate, analyze, and characterize Acanthamoeba strains obtained from high-risk medical centers in Khorramabad city, western Iran, using parasitological (culture and microscopic examination) and molecular (LAMP, PCR, and sequencing) methods.

Methods: In this study, 53 dust samples were collected from four high-risk healthcare facilities in Khorramabad City, Western Iran. After being transferred to the laboratory, the samples were cultured in a non-nutritive agar culture medium, and samples with positive cultures were selected for molecular analysis. PCR and LAMP molecular methods targeting 18srRNA gene-specific primers were used to analyze the samples. For molecular confirmation and determination of Acanthamoeba genotypes, 4 randomly selected samples of PCR products were sequenced. The data was analyzed by SPSS-21 software.

Results: The culture and microscopic examination showed that 31 out of 53 samples (58.5%) collected from high-risk healthcare facilities were positive for the Acanthamoeba parasite. All the positive samples by the culture method were also positive in the PCR assay. Out of 53 examined samples, 26 were positive by the LAMP technique regarding the presence of the Acanthamoeba parasite. Sequencing results of 4 sequenced samples showed T4 genotypes, Acanthamoeba sp., and Acanthamoeba culbertsoni.

Conclusions: The present study showed that the environment of high-risk healthcare facilities in Khorramabad city is contaminated with Acanthamoeba, and the pathogenic T4 genotype is present among the positive samples. Given the severe health implications of Acanthamoeba infections, educating immunocompromised patients about transmission routes and effective preventive measures is crucial. This would help raise awareness and promote safety protocols in healthcare facilities to avoid contamination.