Cytopathology of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Naegleria species for cultured rat neuroblastoma cells.

The cytopathology for rat neuroblastoma cells (B-103) and the pathogenicity for B6C3F1 mice of four species of Naegleria have been compared. Both live amoebae and cell-free extracts of N. australiensis, N. fowleri, N. gruberi, and N. lovaniensis added to 51Cr-labeled B-103 cells caused release of radiolabel. All four species of Naegleria exhibited surface extensions termed food cups. Only N. fowleri and N. australiensis were pathogenic for mice. Electron microscopic observations of cultures of either N. australiensis or N. lovaniensis with B-103 cells established that the cytopathology involved lysis of the B-103 target cells.