Does Acanthamoeba protect Pseudomonas aeruginosa from the bactericidal effects of contact lens disinfecting systems?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Pseudomonas aeruginosa that have been internalized in Acanthamoeba are protected against the action of contact lens disinfecting solutions. Methods: The experiments were divided into two parts. First, five commercially available disinfec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian and New Zealand journal of ophthalmology 1998-05, Vol.26 (S1), p.S32-S35
Main Authors: Willcox, MDP, Low, R, Hon, J, Harmis, N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthamoeba
Acanthamoeba - drug effects
Acanthamoeba - microbiology
Acanthamoeba - physiology
Animals
Biguanides - pharmacology
Colony Count, Microbial
contact lens
Contact Lens Solutions - pharmacology
disinfection
Drug Resistance, Microbial
Hydrogen Peroxide - pharmacology
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects
Pseudomonas aeruginosa - physiology
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Summary:Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Pseudomonas aeruginosa that have been internalized in Acanthamoeba are protected against the action of contact lens disinfecting solutions. Methods: The experiments were divided into two parts. First, five commercially available disinfecting solutions, hydrogen peroxide and non‐peroxide based, were tested for their efficacy against four strains of P. aeruginosa and one strain of A. castellanii. Cells were inoculated into working concentrations of disinfecting solutions, incubated for 18h and the numbers of viable bacteria or amoeba were analysed after appropriate growth on agar plates. Second, two strains of P. aeruginosa were allowed to interact with A. castellanii for 4 h prior to addition to disinfecting solutions. The numbers of P. aeruginosa after incubation with the disinfecting solutions were measured after growth on agar plates. Results: In general, disinfecting solutions containing hydrogen peroxide were most effective against the micro‐organisms. Solutions containing only traces of polyaminopropyl biguanide were least effective. Conclusions: For strains of P. aeruginosa, the presence of the amoebae did not protect the bacteria against the disinfecting agents. The amoeba appeared to kill the bacteria, perhaps using them as a food source.
ISSN:0814-9763
1440-1606
DOI:10.1111/j.1442-9071.1998.tb01366.x