from Fiona L. Henriquez (University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK) writing in Parasites and Vectors (2009) 2: 16

There is an increasing interest and awareness of the free-living amoeba, Acanthamoeba, over recent years as an opportunistic pathogen of medical importance. The publication of this book is a timely reflection of this current situation. The author is to be congratulated on the provision of such a comprehensive review of the literature concerning all aspects of Acanthamoeba research. The intention of the author was to provide an essential reference for researchers of infectious diseases. This is achieved and in addition, this book should also be beneficial to students at the university level with a specific interest in microbiology.

This book is certainly a 'must read' for all scientists interested in medical and environmental microbiology. It is a very convincing overview and foundation of what is already known about Acanthamoeba, but the literature is constantly progressing rapidly and new information is arising about this, until recently, understudied organism.

Further reading: Acanthamoeba: Biology and Pathogenesis

Labels: Acanthamoeba, amoeba, Amoebiasis, book review, books, free-living amoeba, opportunistic pathogen, parasites

Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoan that is widely distributed in the environment. Acanthamoeba has two stages in its life cycle, an active trophozoite stage during which Acanthamoeba reproduces, and a dormant cyst stage during which Acanthamoeba remains inactive with little metabolic activity, but viable, for years. During the last few decades, Acanthamoeba has become increasingly appreciated as an important microbe and now well-recognized to produce serious human infections, including a vision-threatening keratitis (called Acanthamoeba keratitis) and a rare but fatal encephalitis, known as granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. Initially the term "granulomatous amoebic encephalitis" was coined specifically to describe brain infection due to Acanthamoeba. However, with the discovery of a number of amoebae that can produce granulomatous encephalitis, including Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Sappinia diploidea, and perhaps other unidentified amoebae, it is necessary to differentiate the disease according to its causative agent. "Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis due to Acanthamoeba" can be referred to as "Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis".

The true burden of keratitis and encephalitis due to Acanthamoeba on the human health is not known. Furthermore, the pathogenesis and pathophysiology associated with Acanthamoeba infections, as well as the molecular identification of virulence traits of Acanthamoeba, which may be potential targets for therapeutic interventions and/or the development of preventative measures remain incompletely understood. In recent years, there has been a tremendous interest in this pathogen by the scientific and the medical community. This is due to (i) an increasing number of Acanthamoeba infections, associated with a rise in the number of immunocompromised individuals and contact lens wearers, (ii) the potential role in ecosystems, and (iii) the ability to act as a host or reservoir for microbial pathogens, including viruses, prokaryotes, other protozoa and fungi.

from Naveed Khan in Acanthamoeba: Biology and Pathogenesis

See also: Acanthamoeba pictures, illustrations and figures

Labels: Acanthamoeba, amoeba, protozoa