Acanthamoeba
| Acanthamoeba | |
|---|---|
| Phase contrast micrograph of an Acanthamoeba polyphaga cyst. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Phylum: | Amoebozoa |
| Class: | Discosea |
| Order: | Centramoebida |
| Family: | Acanthamoebidae |
| Genus: | Acanthamoeba Volkonsky 1931 |
| Type species | |
| Acanthamoeba castellanii Volkonsky 1931 | |
Acanthamoeba is a genus of amoebae that are commonly recovered from soil, fresh water, and other habitats. The genus Acanthamoeba has two stages in its life cycle, the metabolically active trophozoite stage and a dormant, stress-resistant cyst stage. In nature, Acanthamoeba species are generally free-living bacterivores. However, they are also opportunistic pathogens able to cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in humans and other animals.
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