Identificação de amebas de vida livre em poeira de ar condicionado da unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica de um hospital escola do interior do Rio Grande do Sul.

Abstract

Free-living amoebae represent potential agents that may be for infections in humans and can be found in various habitats, such as dust, atmospheric air, water, rivers and lakes. The genus Acanthamoeba spp. It has several species with this pathogenic potential, which can cause serious diseases such as keratitis Amebic and meningoencephalitis Amebic Primary. The Free-living amoebae can remain viable for several years in all types of environments, including hospitals, being capable of occasioning various kinds of infections, just waiting for the right moment to perform lysis and proliferation. The objective of this study was to identify the presence of amoebas of free life in dust air conditioning unit Pediatric Intensive Care Hospital Santa Cruz (HSC), Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, and sort suggestively samples as to their gender and potential pathogenic. The monoxênica culture samples was performed with non-nutrient agar coated with a suspension of Escherichia coli heat inactivated and incubated for 10 days with daily amebic growth verification and observation under a microscope, and then subculture was performed and cloning of amoebae. The identification of the genera was performed by morphological characteristics, the following criteria PAGE (1988). thermotolerance tests showed 60% growth at 37 and 22% at 42 ° C. Of these samples, 18% are considered to be highly pathogenic, it grew at both temperatures. osmotolerância tests were performed to check the pathogenic potential of free-living amoebae present in each sample and there was growth of 44% at a concentration of 0.5 M mannitol. This was a pioneering study in this hospital, in order to present the species of free-living amoebae present in air conditioning samples of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and its pathogenic potential for humans. The suggestive identification of amoebae genre was possible, and the classification as to its pathogenic degree.