purpose : to report an atypical case of acanthamoeba keratitis. patients & methods : a 19-year-old girl presented with a history of recurrent herpetic keratitis and a history of short-time contact lens wear. laboratory work-up for herpetic, bacterial, and acanthamoeba sources were negative and the patient failied to follow up. on later presentation she had corneal necrotizing stromal ulcer need...

Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are causal agents of a severe sight-threatening infection of the cornea known as Acanthamoeba keratitis. Moreover, the number of reported cases worldwide is increasing year after year, mostly in contact lens wearers, although cases have also been reported in non-contact lens wearers. Interestingly, Acanthamoeba keratitis has remained significant, de...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Infective keratitis is rare in the absence of predisposing factors. The pattern of risk factors predisposing to infective keratitis varies with geographical regions and also influences the type of infection that occurs. The present study was aimed to identify the specific risk factors that predispose the infective keratitis (non viral) and to determine the association bet...

Acanthamoeba species are free-living amoebae that can be found in almost every range of environments. Within this genus, a number of species are recognized as human pathogens, potentially causing Acanthamoeba keratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, and chronic granulomatous lesions. Soil and water samples were taken from experimental station at Julianna Major of Plant Protection Institut...

This study evaluated the presence of Acanthamoeba species in the Puzih River watershed, which features typical subtropical monsoon climate and is located just above the Tropic of Cancer in Taiwan. The relationship between the seasonal and geographical distributions of Acanthamoeba species in this rivershed was also investigated. Acanthamoeba species were detected in water samples using the amoe...

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) infection is a rather frequently occurring disease all over the world which can still cause serious or even total loss of vision despite improved diagnostic and therapeutic options. It may cause mostly keratitis, scleritis or chorioretinitis in people with competent immune systems. It mainly affects contact lens wearers with poor hygiene. Corneal trauma due to foreig...

Purpose of review This paper reviews the literature generated on Acanthamoeba keratitis since 1998. Recent findings Acanthamoeba infections may be on the rise. Contact lenses are the biggest risk factor for their development. Silicone hydrogel lenses are increasingly prescribed and may be ‘more sticky’ to Acanthamoeba organisms. Orthokeratology for the treatment of myopia has been associated wi...

Dear Editor, Acanthamoeba species are opportunistic pathogens that can cause life-threatening diseases in the immunocompromised host. In healthy individuals, Acanthamoeba can cause ulcerating keratitis, which is associated with the use of improperly sterilised contact lenses, trauma or washing with contaminated water.1 Reports have shown that the defenses of a healthy host seemed sufficient to ...