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Prevalence of Acanthamoeba spp. in Tasmanian intensive care clinical specimens
AIM: To explore the possibility of colonization of the respiratory and urinary tracts of intensive care patients with free-living amoebae.
METHODS: Thirty-nine catheter urines, 50 endotracheal trap sputa and one general ward sputum sample from 45 patients and nine intensive care unit (ICU) environmental water samples were collected during a four-and-half-month period in the Royal Hobart Hospital from August 2011.
FINDINGS: Acanthamoebae were isolated by culture and detected by polymerase chain reaction in two sputum samples from a single patient, taken one week apart. A single Acanthamoeba species isolate was detected by culture only from the ICU environment.
CONCLUSION: Colonization of ICU patients' respiratory tracts with Acanthamoeba spp. does occur. This may have significance for the role of acanthamoebae as a source of bacterial pathogens in intensive therapy patients' respiratory tracts.
History
Publication title
Journal of Hospital InfectionVolume
86Pagination
178-181ISSN
0195-6701Department/School
Tasmanian School of MedicinePublisher
W B Saunders Co LtdPlace of publication
32 Jamestown Rd, London, England, Nw1 7ByRights statement
Copyright 2014 The Healthcare Infection SocietyRepository Status
- Restricted