Identification of Acanthamoeba strains isolated from a freshwater course in Saudi Arabia.

A total of 40 freshwater samples, collected from Wadi Hanifah, were cultured on non-nutrient agar + 1% NaCl for the detection of Acanthamoeba. Thirty three strains of Acanthamoeba were isolated and subcultured for further identification according to cyst morphology. The isolated strains of Acanthamoeba were found belonging to 4 species which were A. astronyxis, A. comandoni, A. culbertsoni and A. quina. The optimum and maximum tolerated temperatures for growth as well as the pathogenicity of each strain for mice were also recorded. This water source is hazardous for human use.