Abstract:
Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebae that are widely distributed in the
environment. Acanthamoeha spp. can also act as pathogens living in their host, and
as free-living organisms in nature. In this study, water samples were collected at
several locations around Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) to detect the
presence of Acanthamoeba. These amoebae were identified by morphological and
PCR techniques. Only Acanthamoeha were focused in this study. The microscopic
observation of the cysts and tropozoites of Acanthamoeha was determined by
following Page's description. To confirm the genus, primer pair JDP l and JDP2 was
used to amplify nine region df3 of Acanthamoeba spp. which is highly specific to
amplify the Acanthanioeba sp gene. The presence of 5 Bands after the PCR reaction in
the gel indicates that the isolates are from genus Acanthamoeba. The bands were sent
for sequencing analysis and the results showed that these isolates could be further
confirmed up to the species level.
