• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.15-20
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• 2006

Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are causative agents of granulomatous amebic encephalitis and amebic keratitis. Because the virulence of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni cultured in the laboratory is restored by consecutive brain passages, we examined the genes induced in mouse brain-passaged A. culbertsoni by differential display reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR). Enhanced A. culbertsoni virulence was observed during the second mouse brain passage, i.e., infected mouse mortality increased from $5\%\;to\;70\%.$ Ten cDNAs induced during mouse brain passage were identified by DDRT-PCR and this was confirmed by northern blot analysis. BlastX searches of these cDNAs indicated the upregulations of genes encoding predictive NADH-dehydrogenase, proteasomal ATPase, and GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase B, which have previously been reported to be associated with A. culbertsoni virulence factors.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.335-341
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• 2013

Balamuthia mandrillaris is one of the 4 amebas in fresh water and soil that cause diseases in humans. Granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE), caused by B. mandrillaris, is a rare but life-threatening condition. A 4-year-old, previously healthy, Thai girl presented with progressive headache and ataxia for over a month. Neuroimaging studies showed an infiltrative mass at the right cerebellar hemisphere mimicking a malignant cerebellar tumor. The pathological finding after total mass removal revealed severe necrotizing inflammation, with presence of scattered amebic trophozoites. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from lumbar puncture showed evidence of non-specific inflammation without identifiable organisms. A combination of pentamidine, sulfasalazine, fluconazole, and clarithromycin had been initiated promptly before PCR confirmed the diagnosis of Balamuthia amebic encephalitis (BAE). The patient showed initial improvement after the surgery and combined medical treatment, but gradually deteriorated and died of multiple organ failure within 46 days upon admission despite early diagnosis and treatment. In addition to the case, 10 survivors of BAE reported in the PubMed database were briefly reviewed in an attempt to identify the possible factors leading to survival of the patients diagnosed with this rare disease.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.285-290
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• 2011

Naegleria fowleri, a ubiquitous free-living ameba, causes fatal primary amebic meningoencephalitis in humans. N. fowleri trophozoites are known to induce cytopathic changes upon contact with microglial cells, including necrotic and apoptotic cell death and pro-inflammatory cytokine release. In this study, we treated rat microglial cells with amebic lysate to probe contact-independent mechanisms for cytotoxicity, determining through a combination of light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy whether N. fowleri lysate could effect on both necrosis and apoptosis on microglia in a time- as well as dose-dependent fashion. A $^{51}Cr$ release assay demonstrated pronounced lysate induction of cytotoxicity (71.5%) toward microglial cells by 24 hr after its addition to cultures. In an assay of pro-inflammatory cytokine release, microglial cells treated with N. fowleri lysate produced TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, and IL-$1{\beta}$, though generation of the former 2 cytokines was reduced with time, and that of the last increased throughout the experimental period. In summary, N. fowleri lysate exerted strong cytopathic effects on microglial cells, and elicited pro-inflammatory cytokine release as a primary immune response.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.39-44
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• 1988

비장적출된 BALB/c 마우스에 동종항원으로 면역접종하였을 때 병원성 자유생활 아메바, 즉 점천간출a fowzeri o 359의 감염에 의한 사망률, 생존기간을 항체생성과 관련하여 관찰함으로써 비 장적출이 숙주의 체액성 면역기전에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 관찰하였다. 실험 I군은 비장을 적출하고 면역후 감염, II군은 비장적출후 감염, 여군은 면역후 감염, 사군은 대조군으로서 감염만시킨 군 등으로 구분하여 5~10${\times}$105 아메바를 1주 간격으로 2회 복강내에 주입하여 면역접종하였으며 2회 접종 1주 후에 5~10${\times}$104 아메바를 비강내에 감염시켜 감염 31일까지 관찰하였다. 감염후 사망률은 면역된 I 및 III군에서 각각 38.1% 및 25%로 II군 50%나 IV군 46.4%에 비해 낮았다. 사망한 마우스의 평균 생존기간은 I군 $20.1{\pm}3.6$일, II군 $17.3{\pm}4.5$일, III군 $20.4{\pm}7.0$일 및 비군 $19.6{\pm}7.6$일로 각 실험군간에 차이가 없었다. 감염 31일 후 혈중 IgG 항체가(ELISA치)는 면역군인 I군 및 III군에서 각각 $1.10{\pm}0.29$ 및 $1.31{\pm}0.28$로 대조군의 $0.24{\pm}0.37$보다 훨씬 높았다 (p<0.05). 이러한 성적으로 보아 비장적출 마우스에서 면역후 N. fowleri를 감염시켰을 때 마우스 생존기간의 차이는 없으나 사망률은 면역시킨 군에서 낮아 비장적출후에도 체액성 면역 이 방어기전으로 존재하는 것으로 생각되었다.