Paramecium - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie / German ...

Amoebae in carbonate precipitating microenvironments of
karst caves
Janez Mulec 1 , Julia Walochnik 2
1
Karst Research Institute, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy
of Sciences and Arts, Postojna, Slovenia
2
Department for Medical Parasitology, Clinical Institute of Hygiene, Medical
University of Vienna, Austria
In karst caves microorganisms are involved in rock-building and
rock-weathering processes. The aim of the current study was to reveal
and to compare the occurrence of free-living amoebae in these habitats.
Altogether, 11 samples from 4 Slovenian karst caves and 9 different
habitats were investigated for amoebae by the plate culture method.
Isolated amoebae were identified by their morphologic characters and
genotyped by DNA sequencing.
Five samples were positive for amoebae, including Acanthamoeba
castellanii genotype T4, Echinamoeba silvestris, Hartmannella vermiformis,
and a vahlkampfiid amoeba. The abundance of acanthamoebae
and hartmannellae in caves is interesting not only because
the former are potential pathogens, but also because both can serve as
vehicles for many different bacteria and may thus play a significant
role for the perpetuation of the microfauna in caves. From stromatolitic
stalagmites, a typical biogenic speleothem, a vahlkampfiid amoeba
was isolated that might represent a new species, or even genus in
the vicinity of Neovahlkampfia. The amoeba cannot grow at temperatures
>30°C, has prominent uroid filaments, but does not transform
to a flagellate in the enflagellation test.
janez.mulec@guest.arnes.si
julia.walochnik@meduniwien.ac.at
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