Identification of 18S Ribosomal DNA Genotype of Acanthamoeba from Patients with Keratitis in North China

To identify the genotype of 18S ribosomal RNA gene (18S rDNA, Rns) of the Acanthamoeba strains isolated from patients with keratitis in northern China. The genus-specific primers JDP1 and JDP2 were used for the amplification of the amplimer ASA.S1. With DNA PCR and sequencing, Rns genotypes were identified according to the DF3 sequence variances. Of all 26 DF3 sequences obtained from the 26 Acanthamoeba strains, 18 were unique (69.2%). Of those, 17 were Rns genotype T4 and one was Rns genotype T3. Most Acanthamoeba strains isolated from keratitis in northern China were Rns genotype T4. The results are in agreement with recent results in the literature.