Acanthamoeba T4 genotype associated with keratitis infections in Tunisia

Abstract

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a sight-threatening infection. We report five cases of AK diagnosed from 2005 to 2009 in the Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology at Habib Bourguiba Sfax Hospital, Tunisia. All were associated with improper care of contact lenses (rinsing of contact lenses with tap water and inappropriate cleaning) and lens storage. The patients displayed different clinical presentations: corneal inflammation, corneal ulceration, and corneal abscess. The diagnosis was made after direct examination, culture, and polymerase chain reaction amplification with specific primers. The genotype classification was based on the highly variable DF3 region in the 18S rRNA gene. This is the first study characterizing Acanthamoeba genotype in Tunisia and North Africa. All Acanthamoeba isolates were associated to the T4 genotype. Three different DF3 sequence types were related to AK infections T4/10, T4/15, and T4/16.

The role of domestic tap water on Acanthamoeba keratitis in non-contact lens wearers and validation of laboratory methods

“…Poor hygiene practices, such as the failure to comply with recommended lens clearing and disinfection procedures and the rinsing and storing of lenses in non-sterile saline or domestic tap water, are recognized risk factors for infect ion (Kilvington et al 2004). In recent years, AK has increased, and the main risk factor is the wear of contact lenses which represent 85 to 90 % of the AK cases (Dendane et al 2013). In this study, 100 % (4/4) Acanthamoeba were determined in contact lens solutions of AK patients, which confirmed that contact lens solutions play an important role in contamination of Acanthamoeba.…”

The impact of water crises and climate changes on the transmission of protozoan parasites in Africa

“…A total of 21 countries reported presence of WBP in different water bodies (wells, lakes, rivers, taps, and ground water). The countries with higher numbers of publications were Egypt [36] >South Africa [13] >Nigeria [11] and Tunisia [11]. To our knowledge, 33 countries have no documented reports on WBP in their territories.…”

“…Noted cases in different African countries displayed infection with FLA. Such cases were reported as Acanthamoeba keratitis in Tunisia [36], Ghana [37], and South Africa [38] and as Acanthamoeba meningoencephalitis in Senegal [39]. Raised reports might explain the obvious interest of researchers to stress work on FLA and hence increase its reporting data.…”