en Public Health Public Health پژوهشي Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>Background:</strong> Genus <em>Acanthamoeba</em> belongs to free-living amoebae, which could pose risk to the central nervous system and cornea and is considered to be a significant health concern. The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. in malignant patients in Zanjan, located in the northwest of Iran, using morphological methods.<br> <strong>Methods: </strong>Nasal specimens were collected from 100 malignant patients using swabs in the hospitals in Zanjan, Iran during July 2017-August 2018. The samples were cultured on non-nutrient agar, and the <em>Acanthamoeba </em>genus was identified based on the morphological characteristics.<br> <strong>Results:</strong> Based on the morphological features, six samples (6%) were positive for <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp.<br> <strong>Conclusion: </strong>This was the first report on the presence of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. in malignant they patients in Zanjan city, which provides further evidence on the existence of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. The findings emphasize that special attention should be paid to immunocompromised patients in order to prevent the infections associated with <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp.</span></span></div> Acanthamoeba spp., Malignancy, Zanjan, Iran 71 74 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-89-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ali Pezeshki apezeshki@zums.ac.ir 10031947532846009569 10031947532846009569 No Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Ali Haniloo hani@zums.ac.ir 10031947532846009570 10031947532846009570 No Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Abbas Mahmoodzadeh Dr.mahmoodzadeh@yahoo.com 10031947532846009571 10031947532846009571 No Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Parvin Farahmandian parisa.farahmandian@yahoo.com 10031947532846009572 10031947532846009572 Yes Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.