Determination of the anti-protozoal activity of medicinal agents using the phenomenon of plaque formation by Acanthamoeba spp.

Abstract

Representatives of the genus Acanthamoeba are among the most widespread protists in the environment. They have a ubiquitous distribution and can sometimes cause quite serious pathologies in humans. The treatment of protozoal infections caused by free-living amoebae is currently limited and often unsuccessful. In the presented investigation, amebicidal activity was determined against both the trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba spp., which were isolated during the microbiological examination of environmental objects. The inhibitory activity of drugs in vitrowas determined using the authors’ proposed method, which is based on the plaque formation phenomenon: this is initiated by free-living amoebae when cultured in agar containing the bacteria Cellulosimicrobium sp. strain bent-1. Based on a series of experimental studies, the paper proposes a reliable and inexpensive method for determining the anti-protozoal activity of medicinal agents, which will significantly complement the current screening method system when studying existing drugs, or new drugs during their development stage.