Isolation and Identification of Free-Living Amoebae from Tap Water in Sivas, Turkey

Abstract

The present work focuses on a local survey of free-living amoebae (FLA) that cause opportunistic and nonopportunistic infections in humans. Determining the prevalence of FLA in water sources can shine a light on the need to prevent FLA related illnesses. A total of 150 samples of tap water were collected from six districts of Sivas province. The samples were filtered and seeded on nonnutrient agar containingEscherichia colispread. Thirty-three (22%) out of 150 samples were found to be positive for FLA. The FLA were identified by morphology and by PCR using 18S rDNA gene. The morphological analysis and partial sequencing of the 18S rDNA gene revealed the presence of three different species,Acanthamoeba castellanii,Acanthamoeba polyphaga, andHartmannella vermiformis.Naegleria fowleri,Balamuthia mandrillaris, orSappiniasp. was not isolated during the study. AllA. castellaniiandA. polyphagasequence types were found to be genotype T4 that contains most of the pathogenicAcanthamoebastrains. The results indicated the occurrence and distribution of FLA species in tap water in these localities of Sivas, Turkey. Furthermore, the presence of temperature tolerantAcanthamoebagenotype T4 in tap water in the region must be taken into account for health risks.