Acanthamoeba castellanii promotion of the in vitro survival and transmission of Coxsackie-B-3 viruses

This work was undertaken to determine whether Acanthamoeba could play a role in the survival and
transmission of coxsackieviruses and focused on in vitro interactions between Acanthamoeba castellanii and
coxsackie B3 viruses (CVB-3). Residual virus titer evaluations and immunofluorescence experiments revealed
a remarkable CVB-3 adsorption on amoeba surfaces and accumulation inside cells. The survival of viruses was
independent of the dynamics of amoeba replication and encystment. In addition, our results indicated that
virus-infected amoebas can release infectious viruses during interaction with human macrophages. On the
basis of these data, Acanthamoeba appears to be a potential promoter of the survival of coxsackieviruses and
their transmission to human hosts.