ReviewClinical microbiology reviews2003
Acanthamoeba spp. as agents of disease in humans.
Review in Clinical microbiology reviews, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 528 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
528 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,256 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Implication of Horizontal Gene Transfer BetweenPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Global prevalence of potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae in sewage and sewage-related environments-systematic review with meta-analysis.Parasitology research · 2024Pooled it
- A history of over 40 years of potentially pathogenic free-living amoeba studies in Brazil - a systematic review.Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Genotype distribution of Acanthamoeba in keratitis: a systematic review.Parasitology research · 2021Pooled it
- The role of Acanthamoeba spp. in biofilm communities: a systematic review.Parasitology research · 2021Pooled it
- Article
- Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Amebic Meningoencephalitis, Kerala, India, 2025.Emerging infectious diseases · 2026Review
- Oxidative Stress and Redox Imbalance inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Neuroinvasive Free-Living Amoebae Pathogenesis, Neuroinflammation and Therapeutic Challenges.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Molecular epidemiology of Acanthamoeba in human infections and environmental reservoirs in India.The Indian journal of medical research · 2026Article
- Metagenomic identification of Acanthamoeba Rhysodes in chronic skin lesion: Case report and literature review.JAAD case reports · 2026Article
- Ecological Niche Modeling of Acanthamoeba in Türkiye.EcoHealth · 2026Article
- Article
- Clinical Profile, Epidemiology, and Outcomes of Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis: A Systematic Review.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Review
- Repurposing CNS drugs Zonisamide and Perampanel conjugated with silver nanoparticles as an anti-amoebic agent in combating Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis (GAE) and Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) infection caused byParasite epidemiology and control · 2026Article
- Essential oil of Zingiber spectabile griff.: a potential antiamoebic agent against Acanthamoeba castellanii.Archives of microbiology · 2026Article
- Efficacy of Imidazolium Salt in Disinfecting Soft Contact Lenses Contaminated with Acanthamoeba spp. Trophozoites.Acta parasitologica · 2026Article
- The Effect of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. Leaf Extract on Encephalitozoon intestinalis, Acanthamoeba castellanii, and Leishmania major.Acta parasitologica · 2026Article
- Article
468 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amebae that inhabit a variety of air, soil, and water environments. However, these amebae can also act as opportunistic as well as nonopportunistic pathogens. They are the causative agents of granulomatous amebic encephalitis and amebic keratitis and have been associated with cutaneous lesions and sinusitis. Immuno compromised individuals, including AIDS patients, are particularly susceptible to infections with Acanthamoeba. The immune defense mechanisms that operate against Acanthamoeba have not been well characterized, but it has been proposed that both innate and acquired immunity play a role. The ameba's life cycle includes an active feeding trophozoite stage and a dormant cyst stage. Trophozoites feed on bacteria, yeast, and algae. However, both trophozoites and cysts can retain viable bacteria and may serve as reservoirs for bacteria with human pathogenic potential. Diagnosis of infection includes direct microscopy of wet mounts of cerebrospinal fluid or stained smears of cerebrospinal fluid sediment, light or electron microscopy of tissues, in vitro cultivation of Acanthamoeba, and histological assessment of frozen or paraffin-embedded sections of brain or cutaneous lesion biopsy material. Immunocytochemistry, chemifluorescent dye staining, PCR, and analysis of DNA sequence variation also have been employed for laboratory diagnosis. Treatment of Acanthamoeba infections has met with mixed results. However, chlorhexidine gluconate, alone or in combination with propamidene isethionate, is effective in some patients. Furthermore, effective treatment is complicated since patients may present with underlying disease and Acanthamoeba infection may not be recognized. Since an increase in the number of cases of Acanthamoeba infections has occurred worldwide, these protozoa have become increasingly important as agents of human disease.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.