Activity against Legionella, amoeba and biofilm

Green biocide's (Biomeba's) mechanism of action: effective phagocytosis

Full phagocytic activity on Legionella pneumophila

Like with other free-living amoebas co-culture experiments showed that Willaertia magna C2c.Maky internalizes Legionella pneumophila . However, Willaertia magna C2c.Maky treats the internalized bacterium differently compared to other amoebic species, called permissive. In permissive amoebas (such as Acanthamoeba castellanii and Vermamoeba vermiformis) the bacterium can escape the lytic activity of the host cell – Legionella pneumophila is known to inhibit phagolysosomal fusion – and form replicative phagosomes. In contrast, in Willaertia magna C2c.Maky, neither of these events occurs. Electron microscopic examination of amoeba-bacterium co-cultures effectively demonstrated that Legionella pneumophila is unable to form replicative phagosomes in Willaertia magna C2c.Maky. 

Phagocytosis and destruction of free-living amoeba, vectors of Legionella pneumophila

Willaertia magnaC2c.Maky can also internalize the amoebic vectors of Legionella pneumophila through phagocytosis. Willaertia magnaC2c.Maky was found to internalize and destroy other amoebas, both in axenic conditions in SCGYEM medium, and in non-axenic conditions in crude industrial water.

In addition, in co-culture experiments, more than 90% of target amoeba were eliminated within 24 hours of adding Willaertia magna C2c.Maky to the culture. This effect was demonstrated with amoebic vectors for Legionella pneumophila, whether or not they contained the bacterium. Willaertia magna C2c.Maky was also demonstrated to effectively eliminate these target amoeba in industrial waters, and to internalize and digest their encysted forms.

Strong efficacy on mature biofilm: 99% decrease of the total viable count and prevention of the formation of the biofilm

Because of its strong phagocytic activity, Willaertia magna C2c.Maky naturally “grazes” on the biofilm, threatening since it hosts about 95% of pathogenic bacteria and amoebas able to “hide” them.

Amoéba has been able to confirm that in just 24 hours, a single application of its Green biocide (BIOMEBA) decreases significantly the total viable count on mature biofilm. This highly realistic biofilm, composed of bacteria, including Legionella pneumophila and one amoeba was designed by our researchers, in collaboration with worldwide biofilm specialists.

In addition, in this study, we confirmed that a single dose of our biocide prevents the reformation of the biofilm over the following 4 days.