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Supported by grant from Brazilian Scientific Foundations: FAPESP (08/53969-0), CAPES, CNPq.

Fabio Carvalho , Linda C Carrijo-Carvalho , Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi, Annette Foronda, Denise de Freitas . Low-molecular weight proteins as potential virulence factors of Acanthamoeba pathogens in corneal infection.

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Supported by grant from Brazilian Scientific Foundations: FAPESP (08/53969-0), CAPES, CNPq.

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  1. Fabio Carvalho, Linda C Carrijo-Carvalho, Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi, Annette Foronda, Denise de Freitas Low-molecular weight proteins as potential virulence factors of Acanthamoeba pathogensin corneal infection Supported by grant from Brazilian Scientific Foundations: FAPESP (08/53969-0), CAPES, CNPq.

  2. Corneal infections due to free-living amoebae have potentially devastating consequences. If not successfully treated, it can progress into the eye, causing corneal ulcer, loss of visual acuity and eventually blindness. BACKGROUND

  3. Proteases represent a class of enzymes which are related with pathogenicity and cytolysis of Acanthamoeba species and genotypes. BACKGROUND

  4. To evaluate the expression of extracellular proteins by Acanthamoeba trophozoites as predictive virulence factors in the corneal infection by the protozoa. PURPOSE

  5. The research was conducted in accordance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki • Corneal scrapings • 10 patients • Contact-lens wearers • Acanthamoeba keratitis isolates (n=10) METHODS

  6. METHODS

  7. KDa 109 95 46 36 RESULTS Lane 1: • Negative control Lane 2: • ATCC 30011 avirulent strain Lanes 3 and 6: • Single pattern Lane 4: • High diversity

  8. KDa 141 117 96 76 55 36 RESULTS Lane 8: • Single pattern Lanes 11 and 12: • High diversity

  9. Collagenases • AK: role in virulence. Low molecular weight protein

  10. Heterogeneous extracellular collagenases are produced by different Acanthamoeba isolates; • Avirulent Acanthamoeba strain could not produce collagenolytic enzymes; CONCLUSIONS

  11. Collagenases should be suggested as a virulence marker in the differentiation of Acanthamoeba species and genotypes. CONCLUSIONS

  12. The genotyping and phylogenetic inferences of clinical isolates are currently under investigation; • Collagenolytic enzymes are under isolation by chromatographic techniques. PERSPECTIVES

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