Serology of <i>Naegleria fowleri</i> and <i>Naegleria lovaniensis</i> in a Hospital Survey1

Dubray, Barbara L.; Wilhelm, Walter E.; Jennings, B. R.

doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1987.tb03183.x

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The likely explanation for these antibodies in humans is contact with environmental amoebae. This conclusion is consistent with other surveys of antibody titers against Naegleria and Acanthamoeba species in humans and animals [2][3][4][5][8][9][10].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

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Detection of Antibodies against Free-Living Amoebae Balamuthia mandrillaris and Acanthamoeba Species in a Population of Patients with Encephalitis

Schuster

Honarmand

Visvesvara

et al. 2006

Clinical Infectious Diseases

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Background. Balamuthia mandrillaris and Acanthamoeba species are 2 free-living amoebae responsible for granulomatous amoebic encephalitis in humans and animals. We have screened serum samples from hospitalized patients with encephalitis for antibodies against these 2 amoebae as a means of detecting a disease with few defining symptoms and a poor prognosis.Methods. Indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) staining of serum samples from patients with encephalitis was conducted over a period of 6 years to detect amoeba antibodies. More than 250 serum samples from patients hospitalized with encephalitis were screened. Most of the samples were from patients in California and were screened as part of the California Encephalitis Project, with a small number of specimens from other states.Results. During the course of the study, 7 cases of Balamuthia encephalitis were detected; all cases were detected in Hispanic individuals, and all cases were fatal. Examination of hematoxylin-eosin-stained and immunostained sections of brain tissue obtained at biopsy or autopsy for amoebae confirmed balamuthiasis in all serum samples with positive IFA results. One case of Acanthamoeba encephalitis was detected in an immunocompromised individual with a normal antibody titer by identification of amoebae in immunostained brain tissue obtained at autopsy.Conclusions. IFA can be successfully used in screening for balamuthiasis and acanthamoebiasis in patients whose clinical presentation, laboratory results, and neuroimaging findings are suggestive of amoebic encephalitis. Ideally, this can lead to an earlier definitive diagnosis and earlier start of antimicrobial therapy. Without IFA staining, the balamuthiasis cases in our study would have been diagnosed as neurocysticercosis, tumor, tuberculosis, or viral encephalitis or would have been undiagnosed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Thus, it is not surprising that humans are exposed to them, as indicated by the presence of antiamoeba antibodies in serum. Antibody titers have been demonstrated for Naegleria [2][3][4], Acanthamoeba [2,5], and Balamuthia [6,7] species in surveys of healthy humans. Similarly, amoeba antibodies have been demonstrated in domestic [8] and wild animals [9,10].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Antibodies against Free-Living Amoebae Balamuthia mandrillaris and Acanthamoeba Species in a Population of Patients with Encephalitis

Schuster

Honarmand

Visvesvara

et al. 2006

Clinical Infectious Diseases

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“…Although the antibody titers recorded have differed from study to study, almost all human sera from healthy individuals have been found to be positive for N. fowleri, indicating that exposure to the ameba is common. randomly obtained serum samples from hospitalized patients in the United States (Dubray et al, 1987). have been identified as a source of 'humidifier fever,' a nonlethal hypersensitivity reaction to inhaled antigenic material in recirculating water in humidifier systems (Edwards et al, 1976).…”

Section: Humoral Immunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The immune response toNaegleria fowleriamebae and pathogenesis of infection

Marciano‐Cabral

Cabral

2007

FEMS Immunology &Amp; Medical Microbiology

150

155

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The deletion of CD4- and CD8-double-positive (DP) cells in the thymus after treatment with anti-CD3 antibodies has long been considered as a useful model for clonal deletion during T cell development, although it was reported that DP cell death was not observed in neonates where self-tolerance should be developing. We dealt with the cellular basis of this enigmatic phenomenon in this report. Due to the similar susceptibility to the antibody-treatment in vitro between neonatal and adult thymocytes, critical factors may be outside rather than within the thymus. Indeed, newborn thymus lobes transplanted into recipients of different ages showed an increased susceptibility to the thymo-toxicity as the age of the recipient increased. The thymo-toxicity seems to be based on the adrenal function of glucocorticoid (GC) synthesis, because administration of an inhibitor of GC synthesis significantly reduced the DP cell death by the antibody-treatment. Finally, adrenalectomy completely prevented DP cell death by anti-CD3 antibodies in adult mice. Therefore, the thymocyte death by anti-CD3 antibodies in vivo may not be due to the T cellreceptor mediated selection in the thymus.

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“…Because the major location of infection is the central nervous system and because PAME progresses rapidly, diagnosis in the early stages is difficult (10). Previous studies of the detection of antibodies in infections with pathogenic free-living amoebae have been performed using various methods such as agglutination tests, immunofluorescence tests, and an enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot technique (5,6,15,20). Monoclonal antibodies to N. fowleri have been produced and used as probes for the identification of N. fowleri in brain sections of PAME patients and to distinguish pathogenic N. fowleri from other Naegleria species (16,21).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Immunological Characterizations of a Cloned 13.1-Kilodalton Protein from Pathogenic Naegleria fowleri

Cho¹,

Jung²,

Park³

et al. 2003

Clin Vaccine Immunol

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We previously cloned an antigenic gene (named nfa1) from a cDNA library of Naegleria fowleri by immunoscreening. The nfa1 gene had a coding nucleotide sequence consisting of 357 bases and produced a recombinant 13.1-kDa protein (Nfa1). In this study, to get more information regarding the recombinant Nfa1 protein (rNfa1), we produced an anti-Nfa1 polyclonal antibody from mice immunized with rNfa1 and used a peroxidase staining method to carry out immunocytochemistry experiments. In addition, we observed the effect of the presence of an anti-Nfa1 antibody on the in vitro cytotoxicity of N. fowleri against Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Trophozoites of N. fowleri in cultivation reacted strongly with a peroxidase-labeled anti-Nfa1 antibody. In inflammatory and necrotic regions of brain tissue infected with N. fowleri, labeled trophozoites that were stained brown were also observed. When examined using a transmission electron microscope, the Nfa1 protein showed pseudopodium-specific immunolocalization on a trophozoite of N. fowleri. When examined using a light microscope, CHO cells grown in cocultures with N. fowleri trophozoites (group I) for 48 h showed morphologically severe destruction but CHO cells grown in cocultures with N. fowleri trophozoites and an anti-Nfa1 polyclonal antibody (group II) showed less destruction. The results of a lactate dehydrogenase release assay showed that group I CHO cells exhibited 81% cytotoxicity and group II CHO cells exhibited 13.8% cytotoxicity.

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Serology of Naegleria fowleri and Naegleria lovaniensis in a Hospital Survey1

Cited by 22 publications

References 37 publications

Detection of Antibodies against Free-Living Amoebae Balamuthia mandrillaris and Acanthamoeba Species in a Population of Patients with Encephalitis

Detection of Antibodies against Free-Living Amoebae Balamuthia mandrillaris and Acanthamoeba Species in a Population of Patients with Encephalitis

The immune response toNaegleria fowleriamebae and pathogenesis of infection

Immunological Characterizations of a Cloned 13.1-Kilodalton Protein from Pathogenic Naegleria fowleri

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