New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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The effect of Baquacil on pathogenic free-living amoebae (PFLA) 1. In axenic conditions

MARK W. DAWSON

TIM J. BROWN

Massey University and Health Department Amoeba
Unit
Department of Microbiology and Genetics
Massey University
Palmerston North, New Zealand

DESMOND G. TILL

National Health Institute Department of Health P.O. Box 50-348 Porirua, New Zealand

Abstract The amoebicidal properties of Baquacil, a 20% solution of polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB), was tested against 4 strains of Naegleria and 2 of Acanth-amoeba in axenic conditions at 25, 30, and 37°C. In the control cultures all the strains grew equally well at 30°C, whereas the non-pathogenic strains of Naegleria (P1200f) and Acanthamoeba (1501) grew best at 25°C, and the pathogenic strains of Naegleria (MsM, MsT, and Northcott) and Acanthamoeba (A-1) showed stimulated growth at 37°C. At 37°C MsM, MsT, and Northcott respectively showed 2.25, 1.5, and 0.0% survival after 30 minutes' exposure to 50 mg L"¹ Baquacil. The survival rates of P1200f, A -1, and 1501 were respectively 0.0,1.5, and 0.75%. At 30°C the same treatment produced the survival rates MsM, 7.5%; MsT, 3.0%; Northcott, 0.0%; P1200f & A-l, 3.0%; and 1501, 3.0%. At 25°C the survival rates were all zero with the exception of MsT (2.25%) and 1501 (1.5%). Increasing the exposure time to 240 minutes against strains with high survival rates after 30 minutes' exposure showed N. fowleri (MsM) to have the greatest potential to survive Baquacil. Increasing the initial Baquacil concentration at an exposure time of 30 minutes showed only N. gruberi (P1200f) able to survive 80 mg L"¹. Isolation of resistant strains showed N. fowleri (MsM,br₃) and (MsT,br_t) to be almost totally resistant to Baquacil.

Keywords Baquacil; pathogens; amoebae; axenic; amoebicides; survival resistance; Naegleria; Acanthamoeba; cultures

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1983, Vol. 17 : 305-311 0028-8330/83/1703-0305$2.50/0 © Crown copyright 1983 Received 10 November 1982

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