TY - JOUR T1 - Temperature Tolerance of Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic Free-Living Amoebas JF - Science JO - Science SP - 869 LP - 870 DO - 10.1126/science.178.4063.869 VL - 178 IS - 4063 AU - Griffin, Joe L. Y1 - 1972/11/24 UR - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/178/4063/869.abstract N2 - Within tested strains of the genera Naegleria and Acanthamoeba the ability to grow at high temperatures seems directly related to virulence, with nonvirulent strains unable to grow at normal or elevated body temperatures. Outside these genera, nonvirulent Hartmannella and Tetramitus do grow at elevated temperatures, which suggests a barrier to pathogenicity other than temperature sensitivity. The high optimal temperature of pathogenic Naegleria apparently explains previous difficulty in obtaining isolates from the aquatic environment. ER -