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Introduction: Free –living Amoeba (FLA) are microorganisms that are abundant in the nature. Some genus of these protozoa are opportunistic and cause granulomatous encephalitis and lung infections in immunocompromised people such as cancer patients. Due to the little information about the status of infection of these parasites in the above patients, the present study was performed to determine the prevalence of FLA in cancer patients in Kashan hospitals. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on hundred oral cavity mucosal samples of cancer patients referred to Shahid Beheshti and Yathribi hospitals in Kashan during 2019 to 2020. The samples were cultured onto 1.5% Non-nutrient agar enriched with killed Escherichia coli and examined for the presence of FLA. The rate of contamination with free living amoebae and its relationship with demographic information of patients were analyzed by SPss. 16 Results: Overall, the prevalence of free-living amoeba in oral cavity of cancer patients was 89%. Also, 92.6% of breast cancer and 90.9% of bowel cancer patients were positive for FLA, respectively. The highest rate of FLA contamination was observed in women over the age of 66 years. In addition, the highest rate was observed in 90.9% of illiterate people and the lowest in 76.9% of academics, but the difference was not significant. Conclusion: The rate of free-living amoeba in oral cavity of cancer patients in Kashan were more than the study results of Iran and world. Therefore, health education about transmission and sanitation is recommended for prevention of infection.

The presence of free-living amoebae (FLA) in swimming pools has become an issue of increasing concern in recent years on account of their pathogenicity and their capacity to host other microorganisms. Effective disinfection doses for neutralizing bacteria in swimming pools are specified in the guideline (15.11.2011) put out by the Turkish Ministry of Health; however, this guideline does include any information about FLA. This study aims, therefore, to investigate the effect of different concentrations (1, 3, 5 mg/L) and contact times (0, 30, 240 minutes) of NaClO against trophozoites of FLA isolated from swimming pool waters in Turkey. Experiments were conducted using the most probable number (MPN) method. Maximum log reductions were determined to be 1.764, 2.165, and 3.388 for 1, 3, and 5 mg/L of NaClO, respectively, at 240 minutes of contact time. A. castellanii (ATCC 50373) cysts showed little log reduction (0.017) against 5 mg/L of NaClO, which has a cytotoxic effect against 3T3 cells. Thus, we recommend that new disinfection strategies be developed to try to control the presence of FLA in swimming pools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]