Thermal ecology of Naegleria fowleri from a power plant cooling reservoir

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (USA)

OSTI ID:5890905

Huizinga, H W ^[1]; McLaughlin, G L ^[2]

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1. Illinois State Univ., Normal (USA)
2. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana (USA)

The pathogenic, free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri is the causative agent of human primary amebic meningoencephalitis. N. fowleri has been isolated from thermally elevated aquatic environments worldwide, but temperature factors associated with occurrence of the amoeba remain undefined. In this study, a newly created cooling reservoir (Clinton Lake, Illinois) was surveyed for Naegleria spp. before and after thermal additions from a nuclear power plant. Water and sediment samples were collected from heated and unheated arms of the reservoir and analyzed for the presence of thermophilic Naegleria spp. and pathogenic N. fowleri. Amoebae were identified by morphology, in vitro cultivation, temperature tolerance, mouse pathogenicity assay, and DNA restriction fragment length analysis. N. fowleri was isolated from the thermally elevated arm but not from the ambient-temperature arm of the reservoir. The probability of isolating thermophilic Naegleria and pathogenic N. fowleri increased significantly with temperature. Repetitive DNA restriction fragment profiles of the N. fowleri Clinton Lake isolates and a known N. fowleri strain of human origin were homogeneous.

• OSTI ID: 5890905
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (USA), Vol. 56:7; ISSN 0099-2240
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AMOEBA
BASELINE ECOLOGY
RFLPS
COOLING PONDS
BIOASSAY
DNA
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PATHOGENS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMOPHILIC CONDITIONS
ANIMALS
ECOLOGY
INVERTEBRATES
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PONDS
POWER PLANTS
PROTOZOA
SARCODINA
SURFACE WATERS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WATER RESERVOIRS
220500* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Environmental Aspects
540240 - Environment
Terrestrial- Thermal Effluents Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)