Prolonged culturing of many microorganisms leads to the loss of virulence and a reduction of their infective capacity. However, little is known about the changes in the pathogenic strains of
Acanthamoeba
after long culture periods. Our study evaluated the effect of prolonged culturing on the invasiveness of different isolates of
Acanthamoeba in an
in vivo rat model. ATCC strains of
Acanthamoeba, isolates from the environment and clinical cases were evaluated. The
in vivo model was effective in establishing the infection and differentiating the pathogenicity of the isolates and re-isolates. The amoebae cultured in the laboratory for long periods were less virulent than those that were recently isolated, confirming the importance of passing
Acanthamoeba strains in animal models.
