PURPOSE Macrophages are thought to be the first line of defense in many infectious diseases and are present in high numbers in corneas with Acanthamoeba keratitis. Conjunctival macrophage depletion was performed in an animal model of Acanthamoeba infection to determine the importance of macrophages in this disease. METHODS Selective elimination of macrophages was achieved by repeated subconju...

Acanthamoeba keratitis is uncommon, but one of the most severe infectious diseases of the cornea. Delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis as bacterial or herpes simplex keratitis leads to extensive corneal inflammation and profound visual loss. Therefore, accurate and rapid diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis is essential for successful treatment and good prognosis. We evaluated the usefulness of acr...

Eighteen cases of Acanthamoeba-associated keratitis among contact lens wearers seen at the Department of Ophthalmology, Karl-Franzens-University, Graz, Austria, between 1996 and 1999 are reviewed. The amoebae were proven to be the causative agents in three patients. The aim of our study was to discriminate between clinically relevant and nonrelevant isolates and to assess the relatedness of the...

The free-living amoeba (FLA) group of protozoa that can be found in various types conditions nature, one which is the genus Acanthamoeba. Although, number infections caused by this protozoan low, diagnosis was still difficult to confirm and therefore there were a higher mortality, especially those associated with encephalitis. This review presents some information about biology, pathogenesis, c...

PURPOSE Acanthamoeba keratitis usually presents as a necrotizing stromal inflammation. We report a rare presentation of granulomatous inflammation in Acanthamoeba keratitis METHODS Retrospective clinico-pathologic case series. RESULTS Five corneal tissues (3 corneal buttons, 2-eviscerated contents) from patients suffering from severe Acanthamoeba keratitis not responding to anti-Acanthamoeb...

PURPOSE Instillation of sterile 1.0 microM latex beads into the central corneal epithelium renders Chinese hamsters resistant to corneal infection with Acanthamoeba castellanii. By contrast, activation of the adaptive immune response by subcutaneous immunization with A. castellanii antigens fails to protect against Acanthamoeba keratitis. This study was undertaken to examine the mechanisms that...

Background and Aims: Amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are unicellular amphizoic opportunistic pathogens that may cause fatal granulomatous encephalitis, eye keratitis, amebic pneumonitis and skin nodules as well as abscesses in humans and animals. Acanthamoeba keratitis is caused by trauma to the eye, contaminated cleaning solutions and the use of contact lenses. The aim of the present study w...