ASPECTOS BIOLÓGICOS DAS PRINCIPAIS AMEBAS DE VIDA-LIVRE DE IMPORTÂNCIA MÉDICA

The goal of this review is to compile information on the main aspects of free-living amoebae (FLA). For such articles deposited in PubMed, between the years 1947 to 2014 were consulted. FLA are protozoa widely distributed in the environment. Although not considered classic parasites, such as Trypanosoma cruzi , the FLA are responsible for opportunistic and non-opportunistic infections in humans and animals. Among all FLA, only three genera are able to infect humans and other animals, they are Balamuthia , Naegleria , and Acanthamoeba . Fortunately, FLA infections are extremely rare. Species of these genera are responsible for fatal infections, such as: i) Acanthamoeba causes granulomatous amoebiac encephalitis (GAE), in addition to causes keratitis skin, lung, and kidney infections ii) Balamuthia causes encephalitis infections similar to GAE; iii) Naegleria fowleri is the etiologic agent of primary amoebic menigoencephalitis (PAM). Keywords: Free-living amoebae; Balamuthia mandrillaris; Naegleria fowleri; Acanthamoeba spp.; amoebic encephalitis.