molecular and morphometric characterization of acanthamoeba spp.from different water sources of northwest iran as a neglected focus, co-bordered with the country of iraq

Background: acanthamoeba spp. is a free-living opportunistic protozoan parasites, which can be found in tap, fresh and bottled mineral waters, contact lens solutions, soil etc. objectives: the present study is aimed to determine the acanthamoeba spp. on the basis of their morpho-molecular aspects in different water sources of thewest azerbaijan province, northwest of iran. methods: in this cross-sectional study, 60 water samples were collected from rivers and tap waters during june to september 2015. the water samples were filtered through a cellulose nitrate filter and cultured on non-nutrient agar medium. the extracted dnas were amplified and some ampliqons were sequenced using partial 18s rrna for genotyping and phylogenetic analyses. results: twenty-seven (45%) out of 60 water samples were positive to acanthamoeba spp. using both culture and morphological examinations. in addition, 24 (40%) out of 27 positive samples in culture method were confirmed by pcr to be acanthamoeba spp. conclusions: a relatively high prevalence of acanthamoeba spp. in rivers reflects a risk alert for threatening human health in the region. however, well hygienic status of the tap waters considering acanthamoeba spp. cannot be ignored in western co-border regions of iran-iraq. this study can also serve as a platform for further explorations of water sources in iran and neighboring countries.