Experimental infection of mice by naegleria fowleri or acanthamoeba culbertsoni isolated from water sites in Egypt

Naegleria fowleri and A. culbertsoni, which are known to cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis [PAM] were isolated from water sites in Egypt. Each species was tested for pathogenicity in young mice, which were inoculated intracerebrally with amoebae. Mice developed illness and showed signs of menigo encephalitis followed by coma and death within 5 days. The histopathological finding in the brain sections of these animals revealed the same observations as in acute PAM of previous studies. These results proved that N. fowleri and A. culbertsoni isolated from Egypt are pathogenic strains

Total protein analysis of acanthamoeba culbertsoni from water sites in Egypt as compared with those of other acanthamoeba species and strains from other geographical areas

Total protein analysis of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni from Egypt, .new York [U.S.A] and India by using polyacrylamide gel dectrophoresis [PAGE] resulted in almost identical protein patterns with minor variations among the three A. culbertsoni strains. The protein patterns of A. culbertsoni strains revealed differences from that of A. castellanii from London. The percentage similarity of A. culbertsoni strains was clearly distinguished from each other and the Egyptian strain was more related to the Indian strain [P.S. = 53] than to the New York strain [P.S. = 30]

Free-living amoebae in Egypt: 1-naegleria gruberi and naegleria fowleri

Two Naegleria species were isolated and identified from various water sources in Lower and Upper Egypt. Identification was based on the morphology, nuclear division and the excitation and flagellation tests. The trophic, cystic and flagellate forms of N. gruberi are larger than those of N. fowleri and the cyst of the former species has one or more pores, while that of the latter species has no pores and has an outer gelatinous layer. The size and the morphological characteristics of these two free-living amoebae from Egypt were in complete agreement with those previously described for amoebae of the same genus and species endemic to other geographical areas