A method for microbial decontamination of Acanthamoeba cultures using the peritoneal cavity of mice

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
• Main Authors: Daniella de Sousa Mendes Moreira Alves, Rodrigo Gurgel-Gonçalves, Patrícia Albuquerque, César Augusto Cuba-Cuba, Maria Imaculada Muniz-Junqueira, Selma Aparecida Souza Kückelhaus
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2015
• Subjects: Acanthamoeba polyphaga; Decontaminating technique; Pure culture; Peritoneal cavity; Macrophages; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apjtb.2015.06.002; https://doaj.org/article/2dbb680f685846289623a88a68d78550

Objective: To evaluate whether the inoculation of contaminated cultures in the peritoneal cavity of mice could implement decontamination of Acanthamoeba cultures. Methods: Suspensions of Acanthamoeba, Acanthamoeba polyphaga ATCC 30461, or Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from soil (UnB13 strain) were inoculated in the peritoneal cavity of Swiss mice (n = 24). After 1, 6, 12, or 24 h of exposure the peritoneal cavity was washed and assessed for the presence of bacteria, fungi, and Acanthamoeba. Results: After 1 h of intraperitoneal inoculation at least 97% of the bacteria and 96% of the fungi (P < 0.05) and 99% of the bacteria (P < 0.05) were successfully eliminated from the ATCC 30461 strain and from the soil isolate UnB13 strain, respectively. This method also allowed the recovery of most trophozoites and cysts from both Acanthamoeba cultures at the end of 24 h. Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that this technique has great potential for decontamination of Acanthamoeba cultures in a short period of time.