Acanthamoeba spp. are ubiquitous free-living amoeba with genotypes that cause severe pathology of the eyes, central nervous systems, and rare reports of cutaneous infections. The Seven Crater Lakes are freshwater water resources in Laguna, Philippines primarily used for aquaculture and tourism. A total of 16 surface water samples were collected from different sampling areas per Crater Lake and placed in sterile plastic containers. Samples were filtered using 1.2 μm pore size, glass microfiber filter. Filtered sediments were placed on non-nutrient agar lawned with Escherichia coli and incubated aerobically at 35 °C for 14 days. Six out of 16 water samples exhibited amoebic growth. Cystic stages revealed circular to stellate morphology under light microscopy which were initially classified as Acanthamoeba spp. DNA from positive isolates were made to react with polymerase chain reaction using Acanthamoeba specific primers JDP1 5′-GGCCCAGATCGTTTACCGTGAA-3′ and JDP2 5′-TCTCACAAGCTGCTAGGGAGTCA-3′confirmed the presence of several Acanthamoeba species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of seven isolates belonging to Acanthamoeba genotypes T4, T5, and T9. The presence of potentially pathogenic Acanthamoeba genotypes in the Seven Crater Lakes of Laguna signifies risk to human health which necessitates the development of programs, policies, and guidelines on the understanding, prevention, and management of potential human infections.

棘阿米巴属 是普遍存在的自由活动变形虫，其基因型会导致严重的眼睛病理，中枢神经系统和罕见的皮肤感染报道。七个火山口湖是菲律宾拉古纳的淡水资源，主要用于水产养殖和旅游业。每个Crater Lake的不同采样区域共收集了16个地表水样本，并将其放置在无菌塑料容器中。使用孔径为1.2μm的玻璃微纤维过滤器过滤样品。将滤出的沉淀物置于用大肠杆菌修剪的非营养琼脂上，并在35°C的有氧环境下培养14天。16个水样中有6个显示出厌氧性生长。囊性分期在光学显微镜下显示圆形到星状形态，最初被分类为棘阿米巴属 使用棘阿米巴特异性引物JDP1 5'-GGCCCAGATCGTTTACCGTGAA-3'和JDP2 5'-TCTCACAAGCTGCTAGGGAGTCA-3'使阳性分离株的DNA与聚合酶链反应进行反应，证实了几种棘阿米巴菌种的存在。系统发育分析表明存在七个属于棘阿米巴基因型T4，T5和T9的分离株。拉古纳的七个火山口湖中存在潜在致病性棘阿米巴基因型，这意味着对人类健康的风险，这需要制定有关潜在人类感染的理解，预防和管理的计划，政策和指南。