The occurrence and distribution of pathogenic free‐living amoebae in thermal areas of the North Island of New Zealand

Brown, Tim; Cursons, Raymond T.; Keys, E. A.; Marks, M.; Miles, Manly

doi:10.1080/00288330.1983.9515987

Cited by 35 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…fowleri has been isolated from numerous water sources, especially industrial water with artificially elevated temperatures, swimming pools, thermal springs, and domestic water supplies (Brown et al 1983;Cerva et al 1982;DeJonckheere and Van de Voorde 1977;Fliermans et al 1979;Kasprzak et al 1982;Tyndall et al 1989;Wellings et al 1977). Improved methods of detection are needed in order to prevent recreational use of contaminated water.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Development of a nested PCR assay to detect the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri

Réveiller

Cabanes

Marciano‐Cabral

2002

Parasitology Research

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Naegleria fowleri is the causative agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a fatal disease of the central nervous system that is acquired while swimming or diving in freshwater. A cDNA clone designated Mp2C15 obtained from N. fowleri was used as a probe to distinguish N. fowleri from other free-living amoebae. The Mp2C15 probe hybridized to genomic DNA from pathogenic N. fowleri and antigenically related non-pathogenic N. lovaniensis. Mp2C15 was digested with the restriction enzyme XbaI, resulting in two fragments, Mp2C15.G and Mp2C15.P. Four species of Naegleria and four species of Acanthamoeba were examined for reactivity with Mp2C15.P. Mp2C15.P was specific for N. fowleri and was used in the development of a nested PCR assay which is capable of detecting as little as 5 pg of N. fowleri DNA or five intact N. fowleri amoebae. In summary, a rapid, sensitive, and specific assay for the detection of N. fowleri was developed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Development of a nested PCR assay to detect the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri

Réveiller

Cabanes

Marciano‐Cabral

2002

Parasitology Research

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“…Finally, the flow and circulation pattern of water in Lake Anna could contribute to the low level of N. fowleri. Sykora et al (1983) and Brown et al (1983) reported that N. fowleri may occur more frequently in water that is contaminated by high concentrations of total coliform bacteria. In this context, water temperature could serve as a linked factor to increased incidence of N. fowleri since it promotes the growth of bacteria that serve as its food source.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey for the presence of Naegleria fowleri Amebae in lake water used to cool reactors at a nuclear power generating plant

et al. 2008

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Water from Lake Anna in Virginia, a lake that is used to cool reactors at a nuclear power plant and for recreational activities, was assessed for the presence of Naegleria fowleri, an ameba that causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). This survey was undertaken because it has been reported that thermally enriched water fosters the propagation of N. fowleri and, hence, increases the risk of infection to humans. Of 16 sites sampled during the summer of 2007, nine were found to be positive for N. fowleri by a nested polymerase chain reaction assay. However, total ameba counts, inclusive of N. fowleri, never exceeded 12/50 mL of lake water at any site. No correlation was obtained between the conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH of water and presence of N. fowleri. To date, cases of PAM have not been reported from this thermally enriched lake. It is postulated that predation by other protozoa and invertebrates, disturbance of the water surface from recreational boating activities, or the presence of bacterial or fungal toxins, maintain the number N. fowleri at a low level in Lake Anna.

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“…Millions of people in Taiwan enjoy bathing in hot spring tubs (Hsu et al 2008). Naegleria and their intracellular parasites are able to tolerate high temperatures and survive in high water temperature environments; therefore, they can easily thrive in both natural and artificial hot water systems (Brown et al 1983;Rivera et al 1993). For that reason, it is important to rapidly detect Naegleria and its parasites in hot spring facilities where people swim and bathe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Naegleria and its resisting bacteria-Legionella in hot spring water of Taiwan using molecular method

Huang¹,

Hsu²

2010

Parasitol Res

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Naegleria is a free-living amoebae existing in soil and aquatic environments. Within the genus Naegleria, N. fowleri is most recognized as potential human pathogen causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Furthermore, the Naegleria spp. can serve as vehicles for facultative pathogens, such as Legionella. In this study, we identified Naegleria and Legionella based on the PCR amplification with a genus-specific primer pair and investigated the distribution of Naegleria and Legionella at five spring recreation areas in Taiwan. In this study of hot spring and other water sources in Taiwan, five Naegleria spp. were detected in 15 (14.2%) of the water samples. The most frequently detected was N. lovaniensis (n = 6), followed by N. australiensis (n = 5), and then N. clarki (n = 2). N. americana and N. pagei were detected once, respectively. The pathogenic species N. fowleri was not detected; however, N. australiensis considered to be a potential pathogen species in humans was found. Legionella spp., an endosymbiont of Naegleria, was detected in 19 (17.9%) of the water samples in this study. Overall, 5.7% of the water samples contained both Naegleria and Legionella. The Legionella spp. identified were L. pneumophila and L. erythra. Results of this survey confirm the existence of Naegleria and Legionella in Taiwan spring recreation areas. It should be considered a potential threat for health associated with human activities in spring recreation areas of Taiwan.

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The occurrence and distribution of pathogenic free‐living amoebae in thermal areas of the North Island of New Zealand

Cited by 35 publications

References 39 publications

Development of a nested PCR assay to detect the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri

Development of a nested PCR assay to detect the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri

Survey for the presence of Naegleria fowleri Amebae in lake water used to cool reactors at a nuclear power generating plant

Survey of Naegleria and its resisting bacteria-Legionella in hot spring water of Taiwan using molecular method

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