A method for microbial decontamination of Acanthamoeba cultures using the peritoneal cavity of mice

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether the inoculation of contaminated cultures in the peritoneal cavity of mice could implement decontamination of Acanthamoeba cultures. Methods Suspensions of Acanthamoeba , Acanthamoeba polyphaga ATCC 30461, or Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from soil (UnB13 strain) were inoculated in the peritoneal cavity of Swiss mice ( n  = 24). After 1, 6, 12, or 24 h of exposure the peritoneal cavity was washed and assessed for the presence of bacteria, fungi, and Acanthamoeba . Results After 1 h of intraperitoneal inoculation at least 97% of the bacteria and 96% of the fungi ( P P Acanthamoeba cultures at the end of 24 h. Conclusions Our data demonstrated that this technique has great potential for decontamination of Acanthamoeba cultures in a short period of time.