Molecular Approaches for the Detection, Phylogeny, and Diagnosis of Amoebic Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Amoebae are morphologically similar, but phylogenetically distinct, microbial eukaryotes belonging to various distinct eukaryotic lineages. Some of them are responsible for rare but serious diseases in humans and other vertebrates, such as amoebic dysentery caused by the intestinal parasite Entamoeba and fatal encephalitis caused by free-living amoebae such as Naegleria fowleri, Balamuthia mandrillaris, and various Acanthamoeba species. A wider range of amoebae are found infecting the gills and internal organs of fish, and amoebic diseases are also reported in insects and other invertebrates.

The application of biomolecular techniques has considerably improved our ability to identify these parasites, often revealing their greater diversity. Molecular phylogeny has led to a better understanding of evolutionary relationships within complex lineages (e.g., Entamoeba, Acanthamoeba), as well as the correct positioning of certain amoebae (e.g., Balamuthia, Malpighamoeba), with implications not only for taxonomy but also for the development of new diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance strategies.

This Special Issue aims to bring together relevant original articles and review papers on biomolecular applications for the detection and identification of amoebae involved in human and animal diseases. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development/validation of new molecular tools for rapid detection/diagnosis;
• Improving molecular identification and characterization;
• Advantages and complementarity with more conventional studies, e.g., morphological/histological identification, serology, etc.;
• Intraspecific differentiation, molecular typing;
• Amoebae relationships, molecular phylogeny;
• Omics approaches (genomics, metagenomics, proteomics) for the characterization of pathogenic amoebae;
• Identification of virulent strains/virulence factors;
• Emerging infections: reporting of new pathogenic amoebae and newly infected hosts;
• Environmental surveillance and epidemiology.

Dr. Daniele Corsaro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• pathogenic amoebae
• free-living amoebae
• molecular phylogeny
• molecular diagnosis
• epidemiology
• amoebiasis
• amoebic encephalitis
• amoebic keratitis
• gill disease