Isolation and molecular characterization of Acanthamoeba genotypes in recreational and domestic water sources from Jamaica, West Indies

Free living amoebae (FLA) are amphizoic protozoa that are ubiquitous in nature. Infection with FLA may result in neurological, ocular and skin infections. Exposure to Acanthamoeba occurs frequently through water contact and knowledge of the presence of the organisms in water sources is important in understanding transmission dynamics. The distribution of Acanthamoeba was studied in recreational and domestic water samples collected from across Jamaica. Morphological assessment and polymerase chain reaction revealed Acanthamoeba spp. isolates in 50.6% (42/83) and 17.3% (14/81) of recreational and domestic water, respectively. Sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA resulted in the identification of genotypes T3, T4, T5, T10 and T11 corresponding to Acanthamoeba spp: A. griffini, A. triangularis, A. lenticulata, A. culbertsoni and A. hatchetti. Moreover, T4 was the most frequently isolated genotype in both recreational and domestic water. Thermotolerance and osmotolerance assays indicated that most isolates were potentially pathogenic. This is the first report of T3 and T10 genotypes in the Caribbean and the first report of these Acanthamoeba spp. in Jamaican waters. The study shows that there is potential risk of infection to contact wearers who practise poor lens care. Further, Acanthamoeba should be considered as a cause of neurological infections in Jamaica.

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Molecular characterization of canine parvovirus and canine enteric coronavirus in diarrheic dogs on the island of St. Kitts: First report from the Caribbean region

Virus Research ◽

10.1016/j.virusres.2017.08.008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 240 ◽

pp. 154-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ryan Navarro ◽

Rajeev Nair ◽

Andrea Peda ◽

Meiji Soe Aung ◽

GS Ashwinie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Characterization ◽

Canine Parvovirus ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

First Report ◽

The Caribbean

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Xenic Cultivation and Genotyping of Pathogenic Free-Living Amoeba from Public Water Supply Sources in Uganda

New Journal of Science ◽

10.1155/2016/6358315 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Celsus Sente ◽

Joseph Erume ◽

Irene Naigaga ◽

Benigna Gabriela Namara ◽

Julius Mulindwa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Treatment ◽

Water Supply ◽

Protected Area ◽

Water Sources ◽

Public Water Supply ◽

Contaminated Water ◽

Domestic Water ◽

Free Living ◽

Water Contaminants ◽

Free Living Amoeba

Studies on waterborne parasites from natural environment and domestic water sources in Uganda are very scarce and unpublished. Water dwelling free-living amoebae (FLA) of the genus Acanthamoeba, Hartmannella, and Naegleria are often responsible for causing morbidities and mortalities in individuals with recent contact with contaminated water, but their presence in Uganda’s public water supply sources is not known. We cultivated and genotyped FLA from natural and domestic water from Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA) and Kampala (KLA). The cultivated parasites were observed microscopically and recorded. The overall prevalence of FLA in QEPA (Acanthamoeba spp., 35%; Hartmannella spp., 18.9%; Naegleria spp., 13.5%) and KLA (Acanthamoeba spp., 28.3%; Naegleria spp., 16.6%; Hartmannella spp., 23.1%) were not significantly different. The highest prevalence across water sources in QEPA and KLA was observed for Acanthamoeba spp., followed by Hartmannella spp., and Naegleria spp. Overall FLA mean (±SE) and mean (±SE) across water sources were highest for Acanthamoeba spp. compared to other FLA but were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Analysis of the FLA sequences produced 1 Cercomonas, 1 Nuclearia, 1 Bodomorpha, 2 Hartmannella, 5 Echinamoeba, and 7 Acanthamoeba partial sequences, indicating a muliplicity of water contaminants that need to be controlled by proper water treatment.

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Characterization of Geographically Distinct Bacterial Communities Associated with Coral Mucus Produced by Acropora spp. and Porites spp.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.07764-11 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 78 (15) ◽

pp. 5229-5237 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

B. A. McKew ◽

A. J. Dumbrell ◽

S. D. Daud ◽

L. Hepburn ◽

E. Thorpe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Coral Host ◽

Coral Mucus ◽

Content Type ◽

First Report ◽

Mexican Caribbean ◽

The Caribbean

ABSTRACTAcroporaandPoritescorals are important reef builders in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Bacteria associated with mucus produced byPoritesspp. andAcroporaspp. from Caribbean (Punta Maroma, Mexico) and Indo-Pacific (Hoga and Sampela, Indonesia) reefs were determined. Analysis of pyrosequencing libraries showed that bacterial communities from Caribbean corals were significantly more diverse (H′, 3.18 to 4.25) than their Indonesian counterparts (H′, 2.54 to 3.25). Dominant taxa wereGammaproteobacteria,Alphaproteobacteria,Firmicutes, andCyanobacteria, which varied in relative abundance between coral genera and region. Distinct coral host-specific communities were also found; for example,Clostridialeswere dominant onAcroporaspp. (at Hoga and the Mexican Caribbean) compared toPoritesspp. and seawater. Within theGammproteobacteria,Halomonasspp. dominated sequence libraries fromPoritesspp. (49%) andAcroporaspp. (5.6%) from the Mexican Caribbean, compared to the corresponding Indonesian coral libraries (<2%). Interestingly, with the exception ofPoritesspp. from the Mexican Caribbean, there was also a ubiquity ofPsychrobacterspp., which dominatedAcroporaandPoriteslibraries from Indonesia andAcroporalibraries from the Caribbean. In conclusion, there was a dominance ofHalomonasspp. (associated withAcroporaandPorites[Mexican Caribbean]),Firmicutes(associated withAcropora[Mexican Caribbean] and withAcroporaandPorites[Hoga]), andCyanobacteria(associated withAcroporaandPorites[Hoga] andPorites[Sampela]). This is also the first report describing geographically distinctPsychrobacterspp. associated with coral mucus. In addition, the predominance ofClostridialesassociated withAcroporaspp. provided additional evidence for coral host-specific microorganisms.

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Yersinia massiliensis (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) in the host Anaphes nitens (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae): first report of association with insects

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.237098 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 82 ◽

Author(s):

M. F. Ribeiro ◽

V. R. Carvalho ◽

A. L. Favoreto ◽

B. R. De Marchi ◽

C. Jordan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Enemy ◽

Genomic Dna ◽

Biological Parameters ◽

Insect Host ◽

Free Living ◽

First Report ◽

Chain Reactions ◽

Polymerase Chain Reactions ◽

Pcr Products ◽

Polymerase Chain

Abstract Endosymbiont bacteria can affect biological parameters and reduce the effectiveness of natural enemies in controlling the target insect. The objective of this work was to identify endosymbiont bacteria in Anaphes nitens (Girault, 1928) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), the main natural enemy used to manage Gonipterus platensis (Marelli, 1926) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Genomic DNA from six A. nitens populations was extracted and polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were performed with the primers to detect endosymbiont bacteria in this insect. The PCR products were amplified, sequenced, and compared with sequences deposited in the GenBank for the bacteria identification. All A. nitens populations had the bacterium Yersinia massiliensis (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae). This bacterium was originally described as free-living, and it is associated with and composes part of the A. nitens microbiota. This is the first report of Y. massiliensis in an insect host.

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A Phytoplasma Belonging to a 16SrIII-A Subgroup and dsRNA Virus Associated with Cassava Frogskin Disease in Brazil

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-04-13-0440-re ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 98 (6) ◽

pp. 771-779 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Adriana N. de Souza ◽

Fábio N. da Silva ◽

Ivan P. Bedendo ◽

Claudine M. Carvalho

Keyword(s):

Dsrna Virus ◽

Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

First Report ◽

Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽

Minas Gerais State ◽

Bacillus Spp ◽

Total Dna ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Rna Polymerase Gene

Cassava frogskin disease (CFSD) is a particular threat in cassava because symptoms remain hidden until harvest and losses can be total. The information related to the etiological agent of this disease is contradictory, because some authors believe it is caused by phytoplasmas while others believe that it is caused by a virus. In order to refine detection protocols and to characterize organisms associated with CFSD in Brazil, 32 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic cassava plants were collected in Minas Gerais state. Total DNA was extracted and used for nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect phytoplasmas. Because endophytic Bacillus spp. led to false positives, primers were designed to facilitate the detection of phytoplasma in the presence of bacteria. In addition, double-stranded (ds)RNA was extracted from tubers and used in reverse-transcription PCR for the detection of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene from Cassava frogskin virus segment 4. The detected phytoplasma was identified as belonging to the group 16SrIII-A by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), sequencing, and RFLP in silico. This is the first report of a phytoplasma belonging to the 16SrIII-A group associated with cassava plants, the first molecular characterization of a phytoplasma associated with CFSD in Brazil, and a first report of phytoplasma and a dsRNA virus (possible reovirus) co-infecting cassava plants with CFSD symptoms.

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First Report on Detection and Molecular Characterization of Adenoviruses in the Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata)

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13112194 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2194

Author(s):

Kerry Gainor ◽

Anne A. M. J. Becker ◽

Yashpal S. Malik ◽

Souvik Ghosh

Keyword(s):

Molecular Characterization ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

First Report ◽

Brown Anole ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Dietary Origin ◽

Clustering Patterns ◽

Sequence Identities ◽

Small Indian Mongoose

Using a broad-range nested PCR assay targeting the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (pol) gene, we detected adenoviruses in 17 (20.48%) out of 83 fecal samples from small Indian mongooses (Urva auropunctata) on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. All 17 PCR amplicons were sequenced for the partial pol gene (~300 bp, hereafter referred to as Mon sequences). Fourteen of the 17 Mon sequences shared maximum homology (98.3–99.6% and 97–98.9% nucleotide (nt) and deduced amino acid (aa) sequence identities, respectively) with that of bovine adenovirus-6 (species Bovine atadenovirus E). Mongoose-associated adenovirus Mon-39 was most closely related (absolute nt and deduced aa identities) to an atadenovirus from a tropical screech owl. Mon-66 shared maximum nt and deduced aa identities of 69% and 71.4% with those of atadenoviruses from a spur-thighed tortoise and a brown anole lizard, respectively. Phylogenetically, Mon-39 and Mon-66 clustered within clades that were predominated by atadenoviruses from reptiles, indicating a reptilian origin of these viruses. Only a single mongoose-associated adenovirus, Mon-34, was related to the genus Mastadenovirus. However, phylogenetically, Mon-34 formed an isolated branch, distinct from other mastadenoviruses. Since the fecal samples were collected from apparently healthy mongooses, we could not determine whether the mongoose-associated adenoviruses infected the host. On the other hand, the phylogenetic clustering patterns of the mongoose-associated atadenoviruses pointed more towards a dietary origin of these viruses. Although the present study was based on partial pol sequences (~90 aa), sequence identities and phylogenetic analysis suggested that Mon-34, Mon-39, and Mon-66 might represent novel adenoviruses. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection and molecular characterization of adenoviruses from the mongoose.

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Detection and Molecular Characterization of Potentially Pathogenic Free-living Amoebae from Water Sources in Kish Island, Southern Iran

Microbiology Insights ◽

10.4137/mbi.s24099 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8s1 ◽

pp. MBI.S24099 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Maryam Niyyati ◽

Zohreh Lasgerdi ◽

Jacob Lorenzo-Morales

Keyword(s):

Tap Water ◽

18S Rrna Gene ◽

Water Sources ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Sequencing Analysis ◽

Free Living ◽

Diagnostic Fragment ◽

Amoebic Keratitis ◽

Tourist Region

Amoebic keratitis, a sight-threatening corneal infection, mainly occurs in contact lens wearers who wash their eyes with tap water. The present research was conducted to identify the occurrence of potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae (FLA) in tap water sources on Kish Island, a tourist region in Iran. Amoebae were detected using a culture-enriched method and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/sequencing of the diagnostic fragment 3 region of the 18S rRNA gene of Acanthamoeba. In the case of other free-living amoebae species, PCR/sequencing analysis of the 18S rDNA was conducted. Results of this study showed the presence of Acanthamoeba belonging to T3, T4, T5, and T11 genotypes in tap water sources. Additionally, Vermamoebae vermiformis was detected in three water samples. This is the first report of the Acanthamoeba genotypes T3, T4, T5, and T11 and V. vermiformis species in tap water sources in a tourist region in Iran.

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Occurrence of Potyviruses on Yam (Dioscorea spp.) in Colombia and First Molecular Characterization of Yam mild mosaic virus

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis.2001.85.7.803d ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 85 (7) ◽

pp. 803-803 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

S. Dallot ◽

M. Guzmán ◽

M. Bousalem

Keyword(s):

Mosaic Virus ◽

Protein Gene ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Mild Mosaic ◽

Coated Plate ◽

Mild Mosaic Virus ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Polymerase Chain

A survey to determine the prevalence of potyviruses on yams, Dioscorea alata and D. cayenensis-rotundata, was undertaken in Colombia. Two hundred fifty leaf samples showing mottling symptoms were collected on the Atlantic coast and analyzed by antigen-coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with universal potyvirus monoclonal antibodies (Agdia, Elkhart, IN). Potyviruses were detected in 70% (165/235) of the D. alata and in 66% (10/15) of the D. cayenensis-rotundata samples. The presence of Yam mild mosaic virus (YMMV) was indicated in some of these samples by immunocapture reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction performed as previously reported (1). A 600-bp fragment that included the core and C-terminal region of the coat protein gene (CP) and the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) was amplified from a D. alata isolate using universal potyvirus primers (1), cloned, and sequenced (EMBL Acc. AJ311725). Comparison with the two previously published YMMV sequences revealed 96.1 and 97.4% identity for the deduced amino acid sequence in the CP region, 74.1 and 83.2% nucleotide identity in the 3′UTR for Papua New Guinea (AB022424 [2]) and Martinique (AJ250336) isolates, respectively. YMMV is known to be widespread on D. alata in Africa and the South Pacific and has been recently identified in the Caribbean (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of its occurrence in Colombia. A study of its incidence and genetic diversity in South America has been undertaken. References: (1) M. Bousalem and S. Dallot. Plant Disease 84:200, 2000. (2) S. Fuji et al. Arch Virol. 144:1415, 1999.

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Isolation and identification of free-living amoebae isolated from well water in Istanbul

Journal of Water and Health ◽

10.2166/wh.2020.255 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 1139-1145

Author(s):

Miray Üstüntürk-Onan

Keyword(s):

Water Samples ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Opportunistic Infections ◽

Health Concern ◽

Well Water ◽

Isolation And Identification ◽

Free Living ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

First Time

Abstract Free-living amoebae (FLA) are ubiquitous protozoa commonly found in water and soil environments. FLA belonging to various genera, including Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia, Naegleria, and Vermamoeba, can cause opportunistic and non-opportunistic infections in humans and animals such as keratitis or meningoencephalitis. In addition, some of them serve as hosts for a large number of pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, and viruses. The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence and molecular characterization of FLA in well water samples in İstanbul. Ten well water samples were collected from the taps and the presence of FLA was monitored both by the culture and polymerase chain reaction methods. FLA were isolated in 8 out of the 10 samples (80%) included in this study. Morphological analysis and partial sequencing of the 18S rDNA revealed the presence of Acanthamoeba genotypes T3 and T4, and Vermamoeba vermiformis in the investigated well water samples. This study reports for the first time the detection of Acanthamoeba genotype T3 in well water samples in İstanbul. The presence of potentially pathogenic amoebae in habitats related to human activities supports the relevance of FLA as a potential public health concern.

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