Genotypic diversity of Acanthamoeba strains isolated from Chilean patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Background: Acanthamoeba spp. are the causative agents of a severe keratitis occurring mainly in contact lens wearers. The genus comprises more than 24 species that are currently divided into 20 different genotypes (T1-T20) according to sequence variations in the 18S rRNA gene.