Ultrasensitive and rapid diagnostic tool for detection of Acanthamoeba castellanii

Abstract

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a devastating infectious disease of the cornea caused by an opportunistic amoeba, Acanthamoeba castellanii. It is poorly recognized, and diagnostic delays can lead to irreversible damage to the vision. The gold standard for diagnosis has been a sample culture that lasts approximately 2 weeks. Nevertheless, the essence of time has led to the need for an accurate and fast technique to detect A. castellanii from a sample. We developed both traditional and quantitative real-time-PCR-based methods to detect A. castellanii in less than 3 hours and with the sensitivity of one amoeba. Diagnostic laboratories can select the best-suited method for their purposes from 2 comparable methods. The correct treatment can be initiated from the emergency room when the diagnosis has been made quickly within a few hours, hence saving the patient from long-term complications.