The effect of bacterial prey species and their concentration on growth of the amoebae Acanthamoeba castellanii and Hartmannella vermiformis.

Pickup, Zoë L. and Pickup, Roger and Parry, Jackie D. (2007) The effect of bacterial prey species and their concentration on growth of the amoebae Acanthamoeba castellanii and Hartmannella vermiformis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 73 (8). pp. 2631-2634. ISSN 0099-2240

Abstract

Two amoebae were presented with six bacterial prey at a range of concentrations, and the growth parameters of the amoebae were deduced. All but one bacterium (Synechococcus) resulted in a positive growth response, but the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus proved to be difficult to digest and the heavily pigmented bacterium Klebsiella ozaenae induced unusual amoebic behavior prior to ingestion.