Occurrence of bacterial endosymbionts in Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from corneal and environmental specimens and contact lenses

Abstract

Free-living and parasitic protozoa are known to harbor a variety of endosymbiotic bacteria, although the roles such endosymbionts play in host survival, infectivity, and invasiveness are unclear. We have identified the presence of intracellular bacteria in 14 of 57 (24%) axenically grown Acanthamoeba isolates examined. These organisms are gram negative and non-acid fast, and they cannot be cultured by routine methodologies, although electron microscopy reveals evidence for multiplication within the amoebic cytoplasm. Examination for Legionella spp. with culture and nucleic acid probes has proven unsuccessful. We conclude that these bacteria are endosymbionts which have an obligate need to multiply within their amoebic hosts. Rod-shaped bacteria were identified in 5 of 23 clinical Acanthamoeba isolates (3 of 19 corneal isolates and 2 of 4 contact lens isolates), 4 of 25 environmental Acanthamoeba isolates, and 2 of 9 American Type Culture Collection Acanthamoeba isolates (ATCC 30868 and ATCC 30871) previously unrecognized as having endosymbionts. Coccus-shaped bacteria were present in one clinical (corneal) isolate and two environmental isolates. There was no statistical difference (P > 0.8) between the numbers of endosymbiont strains originating from clinical (26% positive) and environmental (24% positive) amoebic isolates, suggesting that the presence alone of these bacteria does not enhance amoebic infectivity. Rods and cocci were found in both clinical and environmental isolates from different geographical areas (Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Oreg.), demonstrating their widespread occurrence in nature. Our findings suggest that endosymbiosis occurs commonly among members of the family Acanthamoebidae and that the endosymbionts comprise a diverse taxonomic assemblage. The role such endosymbionts may play in pathogenesis remains unknown, although a variety of exogenous bacteria have been implicated in the development of amoebic keratitis, warranting further evaluation.