Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba, is the causative agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a fatal human disease of the central nervous system often contracted after swimming in fresh water. Identifying sites contaminated by N. fowleri is important in order to prevent the disease. An Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) has been developed for the specific identification of N. fowleri in primary cultures of environmental water samples. Of 939 samples isolated from artificially heated river water and screened by ELISA, 283 were positive. These results were subsequently confirmed by isoelectric focusing, the established reference method. A sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 97% were obtained. These results indicate that this ELISA method is reliable and can be considered as a powerful tool for the detection of N. fowleri in environmental water samples.
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1 March 2003
An Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) for the Identification of Naegleria fowleri in Environmental Water Samples
FABIENNE L. REVEILLER,
MARIE-PIERRE VARENNE,
CLAIRE POUGNARD,
PIERRE-ANDRE CABANES,
EMMANUELLE PRINGUEZ,
BENEDICTE POURIMA,
STEPHANE LEGASTELOIS,
PIERRE PERNIN
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The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
Vol. 50 • No. 2
March 2003
Vol. 50 • No. 2
March 2003
Acanthamoeba
amoeboflagellate
free-living amoebae
Hartmannella
isoenzyme typing
monoclonal antibody
primary amoebic meningoencephalitis