An update on the detection methods of Parachlamydia acanthamoebae, an atypical agent of pneumonia

Abstract

Parachlamydia acanthamoebae (P. acanthamoebae) has been recognized as an emerging agent of pneumonia as it has been identified in human samples via culture-based, molecular and serological techniques. Additionally, studies on animal models have shown that it fulfills the third and fourth Koch postulates to be assigned a pathogenic role. Due to the threat posed by it, multiple tools have been employed in the search for P. acanthamoebae. The methods utilized for its detection would be cell culture based approaches which involve both animal and amoebal cell culture and also molecular techniques that encompasses polymerase chain reaction (PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and in situ hybridization (ISH). Additionally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and serology based techniques such as direct and indirect immunofluorescence are also employed with the usage of Western blotting or immunoblotting as confirmatory procedures. This review attempts to describe the variety of techniques that are present in literature for the isolation and identification of P. acanthamoebae.