DNA diversity among the free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, detected by the random amplified polymorphic DNA method

Thirty-one Naegleria fowleri strains from different continents were studied by using the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Five primers among the 40 examined generated eight RAPD variants corresponding partially to their geographic origin. Four characteristic variants are detected in Oceania. The four remaining ones are present in Europe, two of which are observed on other continents. One European variant is found to exhibit similarities with strains from Oceania. The genetic diversity found in Europe and Oceania as well as the existence of ubiquitous RAPD variants bring new insights about the dispersion of N. fowleri throughout the world.