Prevalence of Acanthamoeba and superbugs in a clinical setting: coincidence or hyperparasitism?
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Prevalence of Acanthamoeba and superbugs in a clinical setting: coincidence or hyperparasitism? Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui & Mehwish Sagheer & Naveed Ahmed Khan
Received: 1 September 2012 / Accepted: 12 November 2012 / Published online: 24 November 2012 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Abstract Antibacterial strategies to eradicate superbugs from hospitals/nursing homes have had limited success, suggesting the need for employing innovative preventative measures and better understanding of the prevalence of microbial pathogens in close proximity of susceptible populations. A total of 120 environmental samples were collected from the Aga Khan University hospital. Amoebae were identified using morphological characteristics as well as PCR using genus-specific primers, while bacteria were identified using standard biochemical testing. Out of 120 samples tested, 52 (43.3 %) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba, while all 120 (100 %) samples were positive for bacteria. Following bacterial identification, samples showed mixed bacterial populations. Out of 120 samples, 76 (63.3 %) samples were positive for Bacillus spp., 64 (53.3 %) samples were positive for Corynebacterium spp., 32 (26.6 %) samples were positive for Staphylococcus spp., and 9 (7.5 %) samples were positive for Micrococcus spp. The antibiotic susceptibility showed that all bacterial isolates recovered were multiple drug-resistant. The current findings suggest that Acanthamoeba and bacteria coexist in a clinical environment. Given that Acanthamoeba can harbor bacteria, anti-amoebic approaches may represent a strategy in eradicating “superbugs” from the clinical setting in addition to the current measures.
The dependency on antibiotics has spawned a plethora of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Yersinia, R. Siddiqui : M. Sagheer : N. A. Khan (*) Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Pakistan e-mail: [email protected]
Francisella, Brucella, etc. which are becoming epidemic. Perhaps, one of the reasons why we are unable to stem the spread of bacterial infections in the clinical setting is due to our ineffectiveness in accurately identifying the “source” of these deadly microbial pathogens. Here, it is proposed that targeting the host that can harbor “superbugs” and shield them from disinfectants may be an effective strategy in our battle against infectious diseases (Khan et al. 2010). Acanthamoeba has gained increasing attention by the scientific and the medical community due to its ability to produce serious and fatal human and animal infections (Marciano-Cabral et al. 2003), while it can act as a host for a variety of microbes including viruses (Mimivirus, coxsackieviruses, adenoviruses, poliovirus, echovirus, Enterovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, etc.), bacteria (Aeromonas, Bacillus, Bartonella, Burkholderia, Campylobacter, Chlamydophila,
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