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Microorganisms
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Advances in Acanthamoeba, Second Edition
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Advances in Acanthamoeba, Second Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 2333

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniele Corsaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CHLAREAS, 12, rue du Maconnais, F-54500 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
Interests: microbiology; free-living amoebae; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue, “Advances in Acanthamoeba” (https://www.mdpi.com/si/130310).

Acanthamoeba spp. are the most widespread free-living amoebae worldwide, frequently found in both natural and man-made environments. The role of Acanthamoeba as an opportunistic pathogen in humans and other animals has been established: the amoeba preferentially attacks the cornea causing amoebic keratitis (AK) with loss of vision, but it can also enter the body of the host via other routes. giving disseminated infections, which can result in fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). Like most free-living amoebae, Acanthamoeba also carries other microbes, some of which are potentially pathogenic, thus facilitating their environmental spread.

Over the past twenty years, many studies have been conducted to clarify evolutionary relationships within Acanthamoeba, improve diagnosis and epidemiology, elucidate pathogenic mechanisms, develop environmental monitoring strategies, and examine various approaches for the treatment.

This Special Issue aims to bring together relevant original articles and review papers reporting on recent advances in various topics of Acanthamoeba research.

Dr. Daniele Corsaro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Acanthamoeba
  • genotype
  • molecular phylogeny
  • environmental distribution
  • ecology
  • epidemiology
  • diagnostic tools
  • human and animal diseases
  • pathogenesis
  • amoeba–host interaction
  • antiamoebic drugs

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2173 KiB  
Article
Learning from the rDNA Operon: A Reanalysis of the Acanthamoeba palestinensis Group
by Daniele Corsaro
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 2105; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12102105 - 21 Oct 2024
Viewed by 558
Abstract
The molecular classification of Acanthamoeba is currently based on the analysis of 18S rDNA sequences, delimiting around twenty genotypes (T1–T23). In some cases, however, the resolution of 18S is limited, and other genetic markers could be useful for unravelling poorly resolved lineages. In [...] Read more.
The molecular classification of Acanthamoeba is currently based on the analysis of 18S rDNA sequences, delimiting around twenty genotypes (T1–T23). In some cases, however, the resolution of 18S is limited, and other genetic markers could be useful for unravelling poorly resolved lineages. In this study, the partial large subunit (LSU) of rDNA and ITS were used to re-examine the Acanthamoeba palestinensis group (T2/T6 lineage), which consists of various poorly defined lineages, including the T2 and T6 genotypes. New sequences overlapping 18S, ITS, and LSU were recovered. The analysis placed previously identified partial ITS-LSU sequences as T2/T6 and further confirmed the separation of the OX1 lineage from T2. In addition, analysis of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) suggests that multiple species may be present within the T6 and OX1 lineages. The results obtained from the T2/T6 lineage analysis confirm the utility of partial LSU and ITS for the study of Acanthamoeba, suggesting their advantage for disentangling complex lineages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Acanthamoeba, Second Edition)
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14 pages, 2149 KiB  
Article
Rethinking Keratoplasty for Patients with Acanthamoeba Keratitis: Early “Low Load Keratoplasty” in Contrast to Late Optical and Therapeutic Keratoplasty
by Yaser Abu Dail, Elias Flockerzi, Cristian Munteanu, Nóra Szentmáry, Berthold Seitz and Loay Daas
Microorganisms 2024, 12(9), 1801; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091801 - 30 Aug 2024
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Background: Early therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TKP) for Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is thought to have a worse visual prognosis than the delayed optical penetrating keratoplasty (OKP) after successful conservative treatment of AK. This has led to a tendency to prolong conservative therapy and delay [...] Read more.
Background: Early therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TKP) for Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is thought to have a worse visual prognosis than the delayed optical penetrating keratoplasty (OKP) after successful conservative treatment of AK. This has led to a tendency to prolong conservative therapy and delay penetrating keratoplasty in patients with AK. This retrospective series presents the results of patients with AK that underwent early penetrating keratoplasty after reducing the corneal amoeba load through intensive conservative therapy, so-called “low load keratoplasty” (LLKP). Patients and methods: The medical records of our department were screened for patients with AK, confirmed by histological examination and/or PCR and/or in vivo confocal microscopy, which underwent ab LLKP and had a follow-up time of at least one year between 2009 and 2023. Demographic data, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure at first and last visit, secondary glaucoma (SG), and recurrence and graft survival rates were assessed. Results: 28 eyes of 28 patients were included. The average time from initiation of therapy to penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) was 68 ± 113 days. The mean follow-up time after LLKP was 53 ± 42 months. BCVA (logMAR) improved from 1.9 ± 1 pre-operatively to 0.5 ± 0.6 at last visit (p < 0.001). A total of 14% of patients were under medical therapy for SG at the last visit, and two of them underwent glaucoma surgery. The recurrence rate was 4%. The Kaplan–Meier graft survival rate of the first graft at four years was 70%. The second graft survival rate at four years was 87.5%. Conclusion: LLKP appears to achieve a good visual prognosis with an earlier visual and psychological habilitation, as well as low recurrence and SG rates. These results should encourage us to reconsider the optimal timing of PKP in therapy-resistant AK. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Acanthamoeba, Second Edition)
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15 pages, 22288 KiB  
Article
Iris setosa Pall. ex Link Extract Reveals Amoebicidal Activity against Acanthamoeba castellanii and Acanthamoeba polyphaga with Low Toxicity to Human Corneal Cells
by Hương Giang Lê, Buyng Su Hwang, Ji-Su Choi, Yong Tae Jeong, Jung-Mi Kang, Tuấn Cường Võ, Young Taek Oh and Byoung-Kuk Na
Microorganisms 2024, 12(8), 1658; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081658 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 745
Abstract
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a sight-threatening and difficult-to-treat ocular infection. The significant side effects of current AK treatments highlight the urgent need to develop a safe and effective AK medication. In this study, the amoebicidal activity of Iris setosa Pall. ex Link extract [...] Read more.
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a sight-threatening and difficult-to-treat ocular infection. The significant side effects of current AK treatments highlight the urgent need to develop a safe and effective AK medication. In this study, the amoebicidal activity of Iris setosa Pall. ex Link extract (ISE) against Acanthamoeba was examined and its specific amoebicidal mechanism was explored. ISE induced significant morphological changes in Acanthamoeba trophozoites and exhibited amoebicidal activity against A. castellanii and A. polyphaga. ISE was further fractionated into five subfractions by sequential extraction with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water, and their amoebicidal activities and underlying amoebicidal mechanisms were investigated. The n-butanol subfraction of ISE (ISE-BuOH) displayed selective amoebicidal activity against the Acanthamoeba species with minimal cytotoxicity in human corneal cells (HCE-2). ISE-BuOH triggered apoptosis-like programmed cell death (PCD) in amoebae, characterized by DNA fragmentation, increased ROS production, and caspase-3 activity elevation. ISE-BuOH also demonstrated a partial cysticidal effect against the amoeba species. ISE-BuOH could be a promising candidate in the development of therapeutic drugs for AK. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Acanthamoeba, Second Edition)
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