Abstract :
The amoebicidal effect of anti- amoebic drug Amphotericin- B was tested on pathogenic strains of aerobic amphizoic amoebae. The anti-amoebic activity of drug was expressed as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), i.e. the lowest concentration of anti-amoebic drug at which more than 50% of amoebic population showed stunted growth or formed the clumps and lost the property to stick to the glass surface.
The minimal drug concentration which completely destructs amoebic population called minimal amoebicidal concentration (MAC) was also recorded. Two pathogenic Naegleria fowleri specimens (Strain MA-1 and HS-1) were studied, isolated from municipal water supply of Aliganj and Gomti River (Lucknow, India). The amoebae were cultured in non-nutrients Agar plates, incubated at 35 C for 24 h. The anti-amoebic activity of drug was tested and the observations compared after 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation.
Working stock of Amphotericin- B dilution (15 μg/ml) was prepared from powdered drug, using 5% dextrose in water to solubilize. Different dilutions of Amphotericin-B were prepared to yield final concentration in the range of 0.25 μg/ml, 0.50 μg/ml and 1.0 μg/ml. All the concentrations were duplicates and the experiments were repeated twice. The results were recorded by using light microscope.
Keyword :
Amphotericin-B, Naegleria fowleri, MIC, MAC