AMOEBA (EPA:AMEBA) - Amoéba announces the publication of an article in the recognized scientific journal, Pathogens, which reconfirms the direct effect of predation and elimination of legionella by the amoeba Willaertia magna C2c Maky.

Transparency directive : regulatory news

07/02/2020 18:00

PRESS RELEASE

  Amoéba announces the publication of an article in the recognized scientific
    journal, Pathogens, which reconfirms the direct effect of predation and
      elimination of legionella by the amoeba Willaertia magna C2c Maky.

Chassieu (France), February 7, 2020 - AMOÉBA (FR0011051598 - AMEBA), producer
of a biological biocide, capable of eliminating bacterial risk in water and
human wounds, and a biocontrol product for plant protection, still in the
testing phase, announces the publication of scientific results reaffirming the
direct effect of predation and elimination of legionella by the amoeba
Willaertia magna C2c Maky.

This work, carried out jointly by the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire
Méditerranée Infection in Marseille and Amoeba in Chassieu has been published
in the special issue "Legionella Contamination in Water Environment" of
Pathogens, a peer-reviewed, high-impact international scientific journal
dealing with topics related to pathogens and pathogen-host interactions. The
published article reports on the efficacy of the amoeba Willaertia magna C2c
Maky in ingesting and eliminating several strains of Legionella pneumophila
(https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/2/105).

Some amoebae, widely distributed in the environment- such as Acanthamoeba
castellanii- are known to multiply legionella. It was therefore essential to
understand whether Willaertia magna C2c Maky produced the same effect.

This publication shows that Willaertia magna C2c Maky has the opposite
behaviour: its results confirm the ability of Willaertia magna C2c Maky to
ingest and eliminate legionella. In parallel, this study corroborate the
multiplying effect of legionellae by Acanthamoeba castellanii and by an amoeba
of the same species as Willaertia magna C2c Maky, the amoeba Willaertia magna
Z503.

The authors focused on 3 strains of Legionella pneumophila (Lens, Paris and
Philadelphia) isolated during major epidemics.

Tests were carried out at two distant temperatures (22°C and 37°C) which can
be encountered in cooling water from cooling towers and which may influence
amoeba behaviour.

It was thus possible to observe :

* Intracellular growth of the Lens strain in W. magna Z503 and A. castellanii
   at 22°C and 37°C.
* A multiplication of the Paris strain in A. castellanii at 22°C and 37°C and
   in W. magna Z503 at 22°C.
* Proliferation of Philadelphia strain only in A. castellanii at 37°C.
* In W. magna C2c Maky, none of the three legionella strains showed
   intracellular growth at any temperature. In contrast to the other amoebae,
   the legionella internalized in W. magna C2c Maky are fully digested.

The unique behaviour of the amoeba Willaertia magna C2c Maky towards pathogens
is therefore well confirmed. These results consolidate the effect that had
already been demonstrated in a 2009 scientific paper (Dey et al. Free-living
freshwater amoebae differ in their susceptibility to the pathogenic bacterium
Legionella pneumophila. FEMS Microbiology Letters. Vol 290. pp 43009), which
formed the basis of the patent on which the amoeba biocidal technology was
developed.

These results also question the supposed 'Trojan Horse' effect of Willaertia
magna C2c Maky, an effect known on other amoebas that allows them to select and
amplify microbial strains.

These results support that W. magna C2c Maky is a safe and effective candidate
for the control of legionella in cooling towers and an alternative solution to
chemical biocides.

"The direct effect of predation and elimination of legionella by Willaertia
magna C2c Maky is supported by these results. Moreover, knowing that the amoeba
Acanthamoeba castellanii is present in more than 80% of cooling towers, the use
of Willaertia magna C2c Maky can limit this harmful amoeba population through
competition, which can further reduce the risk of legionella proliferation"
explains Sandrine DEMANECHE, scientific manager at Amoéba.

As a reminder, the evaluation of the regulatory dossier for the application for
approval of the biocidal active substance Willaertia magna C2c Maky for use in
cooling towers in Europe is currently being reviewed by the rapporteur Member
State, with the end of the evaluation scheduled for the end of 2020.

About AMOEBA:
Amoéba's ambition is to become a major player in the treatment of bacterial
risk in the fields of water, healthcare and plant protection. Our biological
solution is an alternative to chemical products widely used today. Amoéba is
currently focusing on the market of industrial cooling towers estimated at
EUR1.7Bn (1) on a global chemical biocide market for water treatment, evaluated
at EUR21Bn (2) and on the biocontrol market for plant protection estimated
globally at EUR1.6Bn (4). In the future, the Company is looking at developing
new applications such as chronic wound care, estimated at EUR 751 million (3)
in the USA. Sales of associated products with healthcare, biocides and crop
protection are subject to the Company being granted local regulatory market
authorizations. The Company is currently in a trial phase for biocidal and
plant protection applications and does not market any products.
Created in 2010, based in Chassieu (Lyon, France) with a subsidiary in Canada
and in the United States, Amoéba is quoted on the compartment C of Euronext
Paris. The Company is a member of the BPIfrance Excellence network and is
eligible for the PEA-PME SME equity savings plan setup. More information on
www.amoeba-biocide.com.

(1) : Amoéba data combined from sources: DRIRE 2013, Eurostat, ARHIA 2013
(2) : Sources combined by Amoéba from water treaters, Freedonia, Eurostat et
      MarketsandMarkets
(3):  BCC Research, "Markets for Advanced Wound Management Technologies,"
      Wellesley, MA, 2017
(4):  Biopesticides Worldwide Market 2013, CPL, Wallingford, UK

Contacts:

Amoéba
Valérie FILIATRE
General Manager
+33 (0)4 26 69 16 00
valerie.filiatre@amoeba-biocide.com

Investors Relations
Grégory BOSSON
Agence Calyptus
+33(0)1 53 65 37 90
gregory.bosson@calyptus.net

Medias relations
Constance LOZET
Agence Ekno
+33(0)7 78 41 19 70
constance.lozet@ekno.fr

Disclaimer
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning
AMOEBA which are based on its own assumptions and hypothesis and on information
that are available to us. However, AMOEBA gives no assurance that the estimates
contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates
are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the reference
document of AMOEBA filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité
des Marchés Financiers) on April 25, 2019 under number D19-0383 (a copy of
which is available on www.amoeba-biocide.com). The forward-looking statements
contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to
AMOEBA or not currently considered material by AMOEBA. The occurrence of all or
part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions,
performance or achievements of AMOEBA to be materially different from such
forward-looking statements.

source : webdisclosure.com

AMOEBA's latest news

07/10/2024 17:45

AMOEBA (EPA:AMEBA) - Amoéba announces the publication of an article in the recognized scientific journal, Pathogens, which reconfirms the direct effect of predation and elimination of legionella by the amoeba Willaertia magna C2c Maky.

Transparency directive : regulatory news

AMOEBA's latest news

Other stories