The high percentage of Vermamoeba was found in tap water in Korea. This study investigated whether Vermamoeba induced allergic airway inflammation in mice. We selected 2 free-living amoebas (FLAs) isolated from tap water, which included Korean FLA 5 (KFA5; Vermamoeba vermiformis) and 21 (an homolog of Acanthamoeba lugdunensis KA/ E2). We axenically cultured KFA5 and KFA21. We applied approximately 1 × 106 to mice’s nasal passages 6 times and investigated their pathogenicity. The airway resistance value was significantly increased after KFA5 and KFA21 treatments. The eosinophil recruitment and goblet cell hyperplasia were concomitantly observed in bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung tissue in mice infected with KFA5 and KFA21. These infections also activated the Th2-related interleukin 25, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and thymus and activation-regulated chemokines gene expression in mouse lung epithelial cells. The CD4+ interleukin 4+ cell population was increased in the lung, and the secretion of Th2-, Th17-, and Th1-associated cytokines were upregulated during KFA5 and KFA21 infection in the spleen, lung-draining lymph nodes, and BAL fluid. The pathogenicity (allergenicity) of KFA5 and KFA21 might not have drastically changed during the long-term in vitro culture. Our results suggested that Vermamoeba could elicit allergic airway inflammation and may be an airway allergen.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
First report of biological contaminants in household water in the Philippines and long-term viability of Acanthamoeba species in one-year-old household water sediment Frederick R. Masangkay, Rafaella Maxine N. Almeda, Alianna Louise M. Abustan, Sarah Veronica F. Almendrala, Jan Camille B. Bathan, Jowey Shekainah C. Belandres, Maria Allana Angela M. Buenaventura, Lea May F. Cabansag, Gemina Bienne V. Caralian, Mikhaella Science of The Total Environment.2025; 989: 179818. CrossRef
Presence and diversity of free-living amoebae and their potential application as water quality indicators Areum Choi, Ji Won Seong, Jeong Hyun Kim, Jun Young Lee, Hyun Jae Cho, Shin Ae Kang, Mi Kyung Park, Mi Jin Jeong, Seo Yeong Choi, Yu Jin Jeong, Hak Sun Yu Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2024; 62(2): 180. CrossRef
Global prevalence of free-living amoebae in solid matrices – A systematic review with meta-analysis Beni Jequicene Mussengue Chaúque, Thaisla Cristiane Borella da Silva, Denise Leal dos Santos, Guilherme Brittes Benitez, Leosvilda Gomes Henriques Chaúque, Antônio Domingues Benetti, Régis Adriel Zanette, Marilise Brittes Rott Acta Tropica.2023; 247: 107006. CrossRef
Free-living amoebas (FLAs) can cause severe disease in humans and animals when they become infected. However, there are no accurate survey reports on the prevalence of FLAs in Korea. In this study, we collected 163 tap water samples from buildings, apartments, and restrooms of highway service areas in 7 Korean provinces with high population density. All these buildings and facilities have water storage tanks in common. The survey was separated into categories of buildings, apartments, and highway service areas. Five hundred milliliters of tap water from each building was collected and filtered with 0.2 ?m pore filter paper. The filters were incubated in agar plates with heated E. coli at 25°C. After axenization, genomic DNA was collected from each FLA, and species classification was performed using partial 18S-rDNA PCR-sequencing analysis. We found that 12.9% of tap water from buildings with storage tanks in Korea was contaminated with FLAs. The highway service areas had the highest contamination rate at 33.3%. All of the FLAs, except one, were genetically similar to Vermamoeba vermiformis (Hartmannella vermiformis). The remaining FLA (KFA21) was very similar to Acanthamoeba lugdunensis (KA/E26). Although cases of human infection by V. vermiformis are very rare, we must pay attention to the fact that one-third of tap water supplies in highway service areas have been contaminated.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
A socioenvironmental approach to the nosogenic potential of freshwaters with presence of thermotolerant free-living amoebae in Costa Rica Johan Alvarado-Ocampo, Juan José Romero Zúñiga, Julián Castro, Frida Chaves Monge, Marco Ruiz Campos, Alexa Bustamante Cortés, Elizabeth Abrahams Sandí, Lissette Retana Moreira Frontiers in Public Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Presence and diversity of free-living amoebae and their potential application as water quality indicators Areum Choi, Ji Won Seong, Jeong Hyun Kim, Jun Young Lee, Hyun Jae Cho, Shin Ae Kang, Mi Kyung Park, Mi Jin Jeong, Seo Yeong Choi, Yu Jin Jeong, Hak Sun Yu Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2024; 62(2): 180. CrossRef
A Narrative Review of Acanthamoeba Isolates in Malaysia: Challenges in Infection Management and Natural Therapeutic Advancements Mohammad Wisman Abdul Hamid, Roslaini Bin Abd Majid, Victor Fiezal Knight Victor Ernest, Nik Noorul Shakira Mohamed Shakrin, Firdaus Mohamad Hamzah, Mainul Haque Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Proper Management for Rigid Gas Permeable Contact and Orthokeratology Lens Kyu Young Shim, Jong Hwa Jun Annals of Optometry and Contact Lens.2023; 22(1): 7. CrossRef
Well water sources simultaneous contamination with Cryptosporidium and Acanthamoeba in East-Southeast Asia and Acanthamoeba spp. in biofilms in the Philippines Frederick R. Masangkay, Giovanni D. Milanez, Joseph D. Dionisio, Luzelle Anne G.-L. Ormita, Abel V. Alvarez, Panagiotis Karanis Science of The Total Environment.2022; 837: 155752. CrossRef
Recognition of Cell Wall Mannosylated Components as a Conserved Feature for Fungal Entrance, Adaptation and Survival Within Trophozoites of Acanthamoeba castellanii and Murine Macrophages Marina da Silva Ferreira, Susana Ruiz Mendoza, Diego de Souza Gonçalves, Claudia Rodríguez-de la Noval, Leandro Honorato, Leonardo Nimrichter, Luís Felipe Costa Ramos, Fábio C. S. Nogueira, Gilberto B. Domont, José Mauro Peralta, Allan J. Guimarães Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Free-living amoebae in an oil refinery wastewater treatment facility Saeid Andalib, Hanieh Mohammad Rahimi, Maryam Niyyati, Farzaneh Shalileh, Sara Nemati, Soheila Rouhani, Mohammad Reza Zali, Hamed Mirjalali, Panagiotis Karanis Science of The Total Environment.2022; 839: 156301. CrossRef
Free-Living Amoeba Vermamoeba vermiformis Induces Allergic Airway Inflammation Da-In Lee, Sung Hee Park, Shin-Ae Kang, Do Hyun Kim, Sun Hyun Kim, So Yeon Song, Sang Eun Lee, Hak Sun Yu The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2022; 60(4): 229. CrossRef
The increasing importance of Vermamoebavermiformis Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Zinb Makhlouf, Naveed Ahmed Khan Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
First
Prev
