Acanthamoeba Spp. Detection in Contact Lens Wearers and Non-Wearers in Iraq

Background: Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebae found in a broad range of environments. Acanthamoeba spp. are responsible for about 20% of keratitis infections in contact lens wearers. We aimed to detect Acanthamoeba spp. and determined the prevalence of Acanthamoeba spp. in contact lens wearers to increase health awareness of the risks of spreading it. Methods: The current study included an investigation of free-living opportunistic amoeba Acanthamoeba spp. in eye swab samples among students in the College of Sciences at the University of Thi-Qar/Iraq. Eighty-eight samples were collected from the eyes of both sexes and for both lens wearers and non-lens wearers from January to April 2024. Results: The current study results showed that the percentage of Acanthamoeba was 4.5% (4/88). All positive cases were in females who were lens wearers only, and no cases were recorded in males or females who had no contact lens. Acanthamoeba spp. were identified morphologically based on characteristics of active trophozoites and cyst forms, and molecular identified by conventional PCR using Acanthamoeba primers JPD1/ JPD2. Additionally, sequencing analysis was performed on positive samples and their alignment sequences were analyzed using BLAST. The results showed a homologous identity (100%) for four samples with the reference isolate Acanthamoeba spp. 18S ribosomal RNA gene )MK390853.1). It was registered as one isolate of Acanthamoeba spp. in gene bank with accession number (PQ661179.1). Conclusion: the current findings indicate the prevalence of Acanthamoeba spp. in contact lens wearers, which is a health risk, especially in females.