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Life sciences · Journal article
Scientific Reports · September 4, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This is a first descriptive survey of Acanthamoeba contamination in contact lens materials from northern Algeria, identifying genotype T4 in 31 of 39 specimens (79.4%) using molecular methods. The work documents a potential public health risk but is descriptive and hypothesis-generating; it does not quantify clinical disease incidence, measure patient exposure, or compare outcomes, and lacks external validation or longitudinal follow-up.
Cross-sectional descriptive molecular survey. Contact lens users attending ophthalmology and optometry facilities in the Tizi-Ouzou region of northern Algeria.. Intervention: Molecular characterisation and genotyping of Acanthamoeba isolates via 18S-rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. n = 39. Tizi-Ouzou region, northern Algeria.
Acanthamoeba spp. detected in 31/39 (79.4%) contact lens-related specimens by culture and morphology Molecular confirmation via 18S-rRNA PCR and sequencing of all isolates All isolates belonged to genotype T4, the genotype most frequently associated with human AK worldwide
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
The high contamination rate (79.4%) highlights a potential source of exposure to pathogenic Acanthamoeba, but the absence of clinical outcome data (AK incidence, patient-level risk, or symptomatic disease) limits direct clinical applicability. Clinicians should interpret this as evidence of environmental contamination in this setting; generalisability to other regions and patient populations is unknown.
First descriptive molecular survey of Acanthamoeba in contact lens materials from a single region; documents occurrence and genotyping but lacks clinical outcome data, comparators, or epidemiological incidence estimates needed to establish public health burden.
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The high contamination rate (79.4%) highlights a potential source of exposure to pathogenic Acanthamoeba, but the absence of clinical outcome data (AK incidence, patient-level risk, or symptomatic disease) limits direct clinical applicability. Clinicians should interpret this as evidence of environmental contamination in this setting; generalisability to other regions and patient populations is unknown.
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Acanthamoeba spp. are ubiquitous free-living amoebae and important opportunistic pathogens capable of causing Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), a painful and potentially sight-threatening corneal infection most commonly associated with contact lens use. Despite the increasing global recognition of AK, epidemiological data from Algeria remain extremely limited, and the environmental and molecular epidemiology of Acanthamoeba in contact lens–related materials has not been previously documented. In this study, we investigated the occurrence, molecular characterisation, and genetic diversity of Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from contact lens-related materials collected from northern Algeria. A total of 39 specimens, including contact lens rinsing solutions and lens-case biofilm swabs obtained from contact lens users attending ophthalmology and optometry facilities in the Tizi-Ouzou region, were analysed using both morphological and molecular approaches. Following culture on non-nutrient agar seeded with Escherichia coli, free-living amoebae morphologically consistent with Acanthamoeba spp. were detected in 31/39 (79.4%) specimens. Molecular confirmation was achieved by conventional PCR amplification and bidirectional sequencing of the 18 S-rRNA gene. Maximum-Likelihood phylogenetic analysis of obtained sequences demonstrated that all isolates belonged to genotype T4, the genotype most frequently associated with human AK worldwide. Three isolates (ALG011, ALG019, ALG023) suggested the circulation of closely related local variants and inter-specific genetic divergence. In addition, no evidence of recombinant forms or genotype hybridization was observed among the Acanthamoeba specimens. These findings provide the first molecular evidence of Acanthamoeba contamination in contact lens–related materials in Algeria and highlight a potentially under-recognised public health risk among contact lens users. The high contamination rate observed in this study underscores the urgent need to strengthen laboratory diagnostic capacity, improve clinician awareness, promote appropriate contact lens hygiene practices, and implement environmental and clinical surveillance programmes to better assess the true burden of AK in Algeria.
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