Morphological Features and In Vitro Cytopathic Effect of Acanthamoeba griffini Trophozoites Isolated from a Clinical Case
Figure 1
Light and confocal microscopy of Acanthamoeba griffini trophozoites. Phase contrast (a) and differential interference-contrast (b) microscopy of a live A. griffini trophozoite exhibiting an irregular morphology. A large lamellipodium (L) of smooth appearance as well as several thin and slender acanthopodia that are frequently bifurcated () are seen. (c) and (d) Toluidine blue stained thick resin sections of trophozoites. The morphology of the trophozoites is very diverse, ranging from slender to oval. In both amoebae a single large nucleus along with a round dark nucleolus and numerous vacuoles with diverse content are observed. (e) A trophozoite observed by confocal microscopy after treatment with phalloidin-rhodamine complex exhibiting a positive strong reaction to actin. This protein is located in cytoplasmic projections but it is also detected all around the cell body. (f) Differential interference-contrast image of A. griffini cysts with showing clearly defined thick wavy layers located near the rounded endocyst.
