Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.8
3.3
Journals
Pathogens
Special Issues
XXth International Meeting on the Biology and Pathogenicity of Free-Living...
share announcement

XXth International Meeting on the Biology and Pathogenicity of Free-Living Amoebae (FLAM 2025)

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2151

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Obstetricia, Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, 2, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Interests: free living amoebae; therapeutics; emerging parasitic protozoa; diagnosis; natural compounds; synthetic compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ismael Castelan-Ramírez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Amibas Anfizoicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
Interests: free-living amoebae; pathogenesis; extracellular vesicles; molecular and cellular biology
Dr. José De Jesús Serrano-Luna

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cell Biology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico City 07360, Mexico
Interests: entamoeba histolytica; free living amoebae; proteasome; proteases; virulence factors
Dr. Alvaro de Obeso Fernandez Del Valle

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bioengineering Department, School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus, Calle del Puente 222, Col. Ejidos de Huipulco, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14380, Mexico
Interests: acanthamoeba; free-living amoeba; syntehtic biology; genetic engineering; protists
Dr. Fernando Lares-Villa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamet of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Ciudad Obregón 85000, Sonora, Mexico
Interests: parasitology; microbiology; free-living amoeba; clinical parasitology; Naegleria fowleri; Balamuthia mandrillaris; Acanthamoeba spp.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maritza Omaña-Molina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Amibas Anfizóicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala (FESI), Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México (Edo Méx), Mexico
Interests: free living amoebae; amphizoic amoebae; pathogenic mechanisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The main aim of this Special Issue is to cover the main advances and remaining challenges in the virulence, treatment, interactions, diversity, biology, and ecology of free-living amoebae presented at the XXth International Meeting on the Biology and Pathogenicity of Free-Living Amoebae (FLAM 2025).

Dr. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales
Dr. Ismael Castelan-Ramírez
Dr. José De Jesús Serrano-Luna
Dr. Alvaro de Obeso Fernandez Del Valle
Dr. Fernando Lares-Villa
Dr. Maritza Omaña-Molina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • amoeba
  • Naegleria
  • Acanthamoeba
  • Balamuthia
  • Vermamoeba
  • free-living

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

24 pages, 15884 KB  
Article
Acanthamoeba castellanii: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Affect Adhesion, Motility, and Encystment, Suggesting a Link with a gp63-like Protein Candidate
by Verónica I. Hernández-Ramírez, Hugo Varela-Rodríguez, Luis Varela-Rodríguez, Francisco Sierra-López, Daniela Eloísa San Juan-Mora, José Daniel Morales-Mora, Daniela Falcón-Navarrete, Carlos Osorio-Trujillo, Jacqueline Ríos-López, Itzel Berenice Rodríguez-Mera, María Maricela Carrasco-Yépez and Patricia Talamás-Rohana
Pathogens 2026, 15(3), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens15030263 - 2 Mar 2026
Viewed by 293
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii, an opportunistic free-living amoeba, causes severe infections including Acanthamoeba keratitis. This exploratory study evaluated whether three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, and diclofenac (100 µM)—modulate pathogenicity-related processes in A. castellanii and explored the involvement of a gp63-like protein during [...] Read more.
Acanthamoeba castellanii, an opportunistic free-living amoeba, causes severe infections including Acanthamoeba keratitis. This exploratory study evaluated whether three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, and diclofenac (100 µM)—modulate pathogenicity-related processes in A. castellanii and explored the involvement of a gp63-like protein during encystment and adhesion. Trophozoites were continuously exposed to each drug and analyzed for adhesion, migration on host-derived discontinuous brain micropatterns, encystment efficiency, and parasite-induced cytoskeletal remodeling in MDCK epithelial cells. In silico docking was performed to assess potential drug–protein interactions. Drug exposure reduced adhesion with maximal inhibition at 60 min. After 1 h, migration decreased by 49%, 64%, and 38%, and encystment was reduced by 50%, 85%, and up to 90%, respectively, in cultures treated with acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, and diclofenac. Co-incubation with untreated trophozoites lowered actin fluorescence to approximately 50%, whereas drug-treated co-cultures preserved fluorescence near control levels. Colocalization analysis showed increased spatial overlap between gp63-like protein and F-actin in cysts (~40%) and migrating trophozoites (~20%) compared with non-stimulated forms (~3.8%). Collectively, these findings suggest that NSAID-sensitive pathways influence host interaction, migration, and encystment in A. castellanii and allow for the proposal of gp63-like protein as a putative molecular component of the NSAIDs sensitive pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue XXth International Meeting on the Biology and Pathogenicity of Free-Living Amoebae (FLAM 2025))
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 1042 KB  
Article
High Occurrence of Pathogenic Free-Living Amoebae in Arid Environments
by Patricia Pérez-Pérez, Javier Chao-Pellicer, Rubén L. Rodríguez-Expósito, Marco Peña-Prunell, Angélica Domínguez-de-Barros, Omar García-Pérez, Elizabeth Córdoba-Lanús, María Reyes-Batlle, José E. Piñero and Jacob Lorenzo-Morales
Pathogens 2026, 15(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens15010041 - 30 Dec 2025
Viewed by 394
Abstract
Free-living amoebae (FLA) are protozoa ubiquitous in nature, isolated from a variety of environments worldwide. In addition to their natural distribution, some species have been found to be pathogenic to humans. In the present study, FLA presence was evaluated and characterized at the [...] Read more.
Free-living amoebae (FLA) are protozoa ubiquitous in nature, isolated from a variety of environments worldwide. In addition to their natural distribution, some species have been found to be pathogenic to humans. In the present study, FLA presence was evaluated and characterized at the molecular level from different water and soil samples in Fuerteventura Island, Canary Islands, Spain. A total of 31 samples were analyzed by culture and molecular assays (q-PCR and PCR). Moreover, the microbiological quality of the water samples was examined as required by current legislation and international standards. The obtained data revealed that the genus Acanthamoeba was the most prevalent genus of FLA in soil samples and the species Vermamoeba vermiformis was the most isolated in water samples collected from Fuerteventura by culture and molecular assays, q-PCR, and conventional PCR/Sanger sequencing. On the other hand, a microbiological analysis revealed heterogeneous contamination patterns. Escherichia coli was detected in several samples, with some exhibiting high counts while others showed no presence. Salmonella spp. appeared in multiple samples, particularly FTVW1, FTVW9, and FTVW13, whereas Shigella spp. was only found in one sample (FTVW1). Moreover, q-PCR detection offers advantages such as reduced detection time and cost. In addition, culture was proven to be more effective for confirming FLA viability and isolating a greater variety of FLA. Overall, the occurrence of potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae in habitats related to the human population, as reported in the present study, supports the relevance of FLA as a potential health threat to humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue XXth International Meeting on the Biology and Pathogenicity of Free-Living Amoebae (FLAM 2025))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1225 KB  
Article
Development of Approaches for Transgene Expression in the Pathogenic Free-Living Amoeba Naegleria fowleri
by Caroline M. Palmentiero, Jillian E. M. McKeon, Colm P. Roster and James C. Morris
Pathogens 2026, 15(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens15010012 - 22 Dec 2025
Viewed by 810
Abstract
The absence of molecular tools for manipulation of gene expression in the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri has historically limited our understanding of gene function in the organism and has coincidently impacted the identification of potential druggable pathways and proteins. Here, we describe [...] Read more.
The absence of molecular tools for manipulation of gene expression in the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri has historically limited our understanding of gene function in the organism and has coincidently impacted the identification of potential druggable pathways and proteins. Here, we describe the development of approaches for the generation of transgenic amoebae using polyethyleneimine nanoparticles to deliver plasmids designed to confer antibiotic resistance and fluorescence to the cells. Through a series of optimization steps, we found that transfection of plasmids encoding the fluorescent protein mCherry fused by a T2A self-cleaving peptide to a codon-optimized puromycin acetyltransferase selectable marker yielded fluorescent cells that were resistant up to 100 µg/mL puromycin. Transfected trophozoites harbored between 45 and 65 copies of the transgene per cell and both fluorescence and resistance were persistent in the presence of selector through continued passages. The development of these approaches is anticipated to enable application of an array of genetic manipulation techniques including forward and reverse genetics to the study of this important pathogen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue XXth International Meeting on the Biology and Pathogenicity of Free-Living Amoebae (FLAM 2025))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop