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REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Parasite and Host
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1518925
This article is part of the Research Topic One Health Approaches and Modelling in Parasitology in the Climate Change Framework and Possible Supporting Tools Adopting GIS and Remote Sensing View all 4 articles

Amoebae: Beyond Pathogens-Exploring their Benefits and Future Potential

Provisionally accepted
Suman Kalyan Dinda Suman Kalyan Dinda 1Shreyasee Hazra Shreyasee Hazra 1Anwesha De Anwesha De 1Annurima Datta Annurima Datta 1Lipika Das Lipika Das 2Santanu Pattanayak Santanu Pattanayak 1Kishor Kumar Kishor Kumar 3Manash Deep Dey Manash Deep Dey 1Arnab Basu Arnab Basu 1Dipak Manna Dipak Manna 1*
  • 1 Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Howrah, India
  • 2 University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • 3 Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Amoebae, fascinatingly diverse protists, showcase a dual nature that positions them as both friends and foes in our world. These organisms, defined by their distinctive pseudopodia, span a spectrum from harmful to helpful. On the darker side, species like Entamoeba histolytica pose serious health risks, causing intestinal and liver diseases, while the infamous "brain-eating" Naegleria fowleri leads to fatal primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), with a daunting 97% mortality rate. Other free-living amoebae, including Acanthamoeba castellanii and Balamuthia mandrillaris, also threaten the human central nervous system. Yet, beyond these dangers, amoebae play critical ecological roles. They function as nature’s recyclers, decomposing organic material and nourishing aquatic ecosystems, while also serving as food for various organisms. Moreover, certain amoebae help control plant pathogens and offer insight into human disease, proving valuable as model organisms in biomedical research. This review sheds light on the complex, multifaceted world of amoebae, highlighting their dual role as pathogens and as key contributors to vital ecological processes, as well as their significant impact on research and their promising potential for enhancing human well-being.

    Keywords: Amoeba, protozoa, FLA (Free-Living Amoeba), Symbiotic, predators, Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

    Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 20 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dinda, Hazra, De, Datta, Das, Pattanayak, Kumar, Dey, Basu and Manna. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dipak Manna, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Howrah, India

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.