Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39106847›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene2024

Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay To Detect Acanthamoeba spp., Vermamoeba vermiformis, Naegleria fowleri, and Balamuthia mandrillaris in Different Water Sources.

Elizabeth Córdoba-Lanús, María Reyes-Batlle, Angélica Domínguez-de-Barros, Patricia Pérez-Pérez, Rubén L Rodríguez-Expósito, Alma García-Ramos, Inés Sifaoui, Omar García-Pérez, Germán Aneiros-Giraldez, José E Piñero and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
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  5. Article
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  8. Article
  9. Fatal amoebic meningoencephalitis caused byFrontiers in veterinary science · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Elizabeth Córdoba-LanúsInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.
María Reyes-BatlleInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.
Angélica Domínguez-de-BarrosInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.
Patricia Pérez-PérezDepartamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
Rubén L Rodríguez-ExpósitoConsorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Alma García-RamosInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.
Inés SifaouiConsorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Omar García-PérezConsorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Germán Aneiros-GiraldezInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.
José E PiñeroInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.
Jacob Lorenzo-MoralesInstituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are widely distributed in the environment. Among these, Acanthamoeba spp., Naegleria fowleri, Balamuthia mandrillaris, and Vermamoeba vermiformis have been reported as human pathogens with health effects ranging from lethal encephalitis to different epithelial disorders. Despite this, FLA still present many diagnostic challenges. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and efficient multiplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to simultaneously detect Acanthamoeba spp., N. fowleri, B. mandrillaris, and V. vermiformis in different water sources. For the validation of the qPCR assay, 38 samples (19 tap water and 19 stagnant water sources) were analyzed. The qPCR assay accurately identified the four types of FLA with no cross-reactivity. Considering water samples with results subsequently confirmed by conventional PCR, the multiplex qPCR assay detected 18/38 (47.4%) positive samples (Acanthamoeba spp. in 44.7% and V. vermiformis in 31.6%) and growth in nonnutritive agar (NNA) cultures identified 7/38 (18.4%) positive samples. Of the tap water samples analyzed, 26.3% of samples positive for FLA were detected by growth in NNA culture whereas 31.6% were identified by qPCR. In addition, FLA were detected in 2/19 stagnant water samples (10.5%) by growth in NNA culture and in 12/19 stagnant water samples (63.2%) by qPCR. Neither N. fowleri nor B. mandrillaris was detected in the water samples analyzed. In conclusion, the qPCR developed showed its potential as a rapid tool for detection of Acanthamoeba spp., N. fowleri, B. mandrillaris, and V. vermiformis. Moreover, FLA species were detected in half of the water sources evaluated, suggesting the importance of the surveillance of these potential infectious agents.

Indexed as

AcanthamoebaBalamuthia mandrillarisNaegleria fowleriReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionDNA, ProtozoanHumansLoboseaMultiplex Polymerase Chain ReactionSensitivity and SpecificityWaterDNA, ProtozoanWater

Identifiers

PMID39106847
PMCPMC11448538

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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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.