The presence of acanthamoeba in portable and stationary eye washes stations in a public university from Porto Alegre-Brazil
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Date
2012Author
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Academic level
Graduation
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Abstract
Acanthamoeba is a free-living amoeba (FLA) genus widely distributed in the natural and artificial environments, presenting a great medical and environmental importance. These amoebae are opportunistic pathogens, causing keratitis in healthy people or encephalitis, mainly in immunosuppressed people. The portable and stationary eye-wash stations are equipments required for work environments that may expose employees to harmful chemicals. The purpose of this study is to determine the Acanthamoeba ...
Acanthamoeba is a free-living amoeba (FLA) genus widely distributed in the natural and artificial environments, presenting a great medical and environmental importance. These amoebae are opportunistic pathogens, causing keratitis in healthy people or encephalitis, mainly in immunosuppressed people. The portable and stationary eye-wash stations are equipments required for work environments that may expose employees to harmful chemicals. The purpose of this study is to determine the Acanthamoeba genus in FLA isolated from portable and stationary eye wash station, using the PCR technique. These equipment are located in a public university in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. A total of 74 samples were collected from biofilm (37) and water (37), using sterile swabs and flask, respectively. After processing, the samples were inoculated in non-nutrient agar 1.5%. Of the 74 collected samples, 58 were positive for FLA, but only 38 of these were submitted to molecular identification of the Acanthamoeba genus, because some samples which were initially positive for FLA, were lost due to the difficulty of decontamination of microorganisms like fungi. The molecular identification were performed PCR to amplification of the 18S rDNA gene. The PCR products were analyzed and 37 samples were confirmed as belonged to Acanthamoeba genus (19 from biofilm, and 18 from water). The Acanthamoeba prevalence is reported in several sources of treated water, such as swimming pools and drinking water, and biofilms. The presence of this protozoa in eye wash stations provides risk to their users, since these equipments are used in case of ocular accident, which can cause injury allowing the input of microorganism from water, or biofilm. ...
Institution
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Faculdade de Farmácia. Curso de Farmácia.
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