This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kilvington, S. Articles by Beeching, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kilvington, S. Articles by Beeching, J. Agricola Articles by Kilvington, S. Articles by Beeching, J.

Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Jun 1995, 2071-2078, Vol 61, No. 6
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Identification and epidemiological typing of Naegleria fowleri with DNA probes

S Kilvington and J Beeching
Public Health Laboratory, Royal United Hospital, Bath, England.

Naegleria fowleri is a small free-living amoeboflagellate found in warm water habitats worldwide. The organism is pathogenic to humans, causing fatal primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. When monitoring the environment for the presence of N. fowleri, it is important to reliably differentiate the organism from other closely related but nonpathogenic species. To this end, we have developed species-specific DNA probes for use in the rapid identification of N. fowleri from the environment. Samples were taken from the thermal springs in Bath, England, and cultured for amoebae. Of 84 isolates of thermophilic Naegleria spp., 10 were identified as N. fowleri by probe hybridization. The identity of these isolates was subsequently confirmed by their specific whole-cell DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). One DNA clone was found to contain a repeated element that detected chromosomal RFLPs that were not directly visible on agarose gels. This enabled the further differentiation of strains within geographically defined whole- cell DNA RFLP groups. N. fowleri DNA probes represent a specific and potentially rapid method for the identification of the organism soon after primary isolation from the environment.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Pougnard, C., Catala, P., Drocourt, J.-L., Legastelois, S., Pernin, P., Pringuez, E., Lebaron, P. (2002). Rapid Detection and Enumeration of Naegleria fowleri in Surface Waters by Solid-Phase Cytometry. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3102-3107 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Walochnik, J., Obwaller, A., Aspöck, H. (2000). Correlations between Morphological, Molecular Biological, and Physiological Characteristics in Clinical and Nonclinical Isolates of Acanthamoeba spp.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 4408-4413 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Pélandakis, M., De Jonckheere, J. F., Pernin, P. (1998). Genetic Variation in the Free-Living Amoeba Naegleria fowleri. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 2977-2981 [Abstract] [Full Text]