Biological characteristics and pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba.

Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoa, which exists widely in nature and is mainly distributed in soil and water. Acanthamoeba usually exists in two forms, trophozoites and cysts. The trophozoite stage is one of growth and reproduction while the cyst stage is characterized by cellular quiescence, commonly resulting in human infection, and the lack of effective monotherapy after initial infection leads to chronic disease. Acanthamoeba can infect several human body tissues such as the skin, cornea, conjunctiva, respiratory tract, and reproductive tract, especially when the tissue barriers are damaged. Furthermore, serious infections can cause Acanthamoeba keratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, skin, and lung infections. With an increasing number of Acanthamoeba infections in recent years, the pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba is becoming more relevant to mainstream clinical care. This review article will describe the etiological characteristics of Acanthamoeba infection in detail from the aspects of biological characteristic, classification, disease, and pathogenic mechanism in order to provide scientific basis for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Acanthamoeba infection.

Importance of Effective Regulation for the Chinese Genetic Testing Industry.

The genetic testing industry is progressing rapidly. In particular, the demand of patients with tumors for diagnosis, treatment, and testing drives genetic testing to develop further. Simultaneously, the potential risks of genetic testing cause severe challenges to regulatory departments. In China, a targeted, clear, and unified management model remains absent.

Current advances in diagnostic methods of Acanthamoeba keratitis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article was to review the current advances in diagnostic methods for Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). DATA SOURCES: Data used in this review were retrieved from PubMed (1970-2013). The terms "Acanthamoeba keratitis" and "diagnosis" were used for the literature search. STUDY SELECTION: Data from published articles regarding AK and diagnosis in clinical trials were identified and reviewed. RESULTS: The diagnostic methods for the eight species implicated in AK were reviewed. Among all diagnostic procedures, corneal scraping and smear examination was an essential diagnostic method. Polymerase chain reaction was the most sensitive and accurate detection method. Culturing of Acanthamoeba was a reliable method for final diagnosis of AK. Confocal microscopy to detect Acanthamoeba was also effective, without any invasive procedure, and was helpful in the early diagnosis of AK. CONCLUSION: Clinically, conjunction of various diagnostic methods to diagnose AK was necessary.