en Public Health Public Health پژوهشي Original Article <span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Background:</strong> The genus of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> is an opportunistic protozoan parasite with a worldwide distribution where it is able to cause fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and amoebic keratitis (AK). This organism inhabits in the wide range of natural and man-made aquatic environments. The present study was carried out to evaluate the presence of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. in the various water resources of Zanjan province, northwest Iran, using both morphological and molecular methods.<br> <strong>Methods: </strong>The Water samples were randomly collected from 30 water sources in different parts of Zanjan, Iran, between April 2015 and May 2016. Then, the samples were cultured on non-nutrient agar and the <em>Acanthamoeba </em>genus identified by morphological characters. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the 18S rRNA gene as a molecular marker.&nbsp;<br> <strong>Results: </strong>The obtained data showed that, out of the 60 water samples collected, 30 (50%) were positive for <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. According to morphological and molecular approaches.<br> <strong>Conclusion: </strong>The present investigation is the first report of the distribution of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. in the various water sources of Zanjan province, gives baseline knowledge regarding water contamination with <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. in these areas and emphasizes the necessity of more attention to water sources in order to prevent infections associated with <em>Acanthamoeba </em>spp.</span></span><br> &nbsp; Acanthamoeba, Water, PCR, Zanjan, Iran 168 176 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-89-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ali Pezeshki apezeshki@zums.ac.ir 10031947532846009448 10031947532846009448 No Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Elnaz Kadkhodamohammadi elnaz_k_mohammadi@yahoo.com 10031947532846009449 10031947532846009449 No Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Abbas Mahmmodzadeh Dr.mahmoodzadeh@yahoo.com 10031947532846009450 10031947532846009450 No Department of Parasitology, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Ali Haniloo hani@zums.ac.ir 10031947532846009451 10031947532846009451 Yes Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.