Which medium would you use to culture Acanthamoeba from a suspected infection?

Which medium would you use to culture Acanthamoeba from a suspected infection?

• A. Thayer Martin agar
• B. Non-nutrient agar with heat-killed E. coli
• C. Blood agar
• D. Chocolate agar

Answer: (B)

Culturing Acanthamoeba from suspected infection relies on a non-nutrient surface that lets the amoeba feed on a contained food source without allowing bacterial growth to overwhelm the plate. Non-nutrient agar provides no nutrients itself, so the amoeba won’t multiply unless a prey source is supplied. Heat-killed E. coli serves as that food source, giving trophozoites something to feed on while preventing bacterial proliferation. This setup lets Acanthamoeba trophozoites with their distinctive acanthopodia and cysts grow, making detection under the microscope feasible. The other media are designed to support bacteria, often Neisseria or Haemophilus, and would not provide the appropriate conditions for observing Acanthamoeba or could be obscured by rapid bacterial growth.

Culturing Acanthamoeba from suspected infection relies on a non-nutrient surface that lets the amoeba feed on a contained food source without allowing bacterial growth to overwhelm the plate. Non-nutrient agar provides no nutrients itself, so the amoeba won’t multiply unless a prey source is supplied. Heat-killed E. coli serves as that food source, giving trophozoites something to feed on while preventing bacterial proliferation. This setup lets Acanthamoeba trophozoites with their distinctive acanthopodia and cysts grow, making detection under the microscope feasible. The other media are designed to support bacteria, often Neisseria or Haemophilus, and would not provide the appropriate conditions for observing Acanthamoeba or could be obscured by rapid bacterial growth.