Virulence of luminescent and non-luminescent isogenic vibrios towards gnotobiotic Artemia franciscana larvae and specific pathogen-free Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp
Phuoc, L.H.; Defoirdt, T.; Sorgeloos, P.; Bossier, P. (2009). Virulence of luminescent and non-luminescent isogenic vibrios towards gnotobiotic Artemia franciscana larvae and specific pathogen-free Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp. J. Appl. Microbiol. 106(4): 1388-1396. dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2008.04107.x
Aims: This study was conducted to test the virulence of luminescent (L) and non-luminescent (NL) isogenic strains of Vibrio campbellii LMG21363, Vibrio harveyi BB120 (wild type) and quorum-sensing mutant strains derived from the wild type such as Vibrio harveyi BB152, BB170, MM30 and BB886.
Methods and Results: The NL strains could be obtained by culturing rifampicin-resistant luminescent strains in the dark under static condition. The virulence of the L and NL strains was tested in gnotobiotic Artemia franciscana larvae challenged with 104 CFU ml-1 of bacteria. All luminescent isogenic tested strains showed higher virulence compared to the NL strains. The virulence of L and NL V. campbellii and V. harveyi BB120 was also tested in specific pathogen-free juvenile shrimp upon intramuscular injection with 106 CFU of bacteria. In contrast with Artemia, there was no significant difference in mortality between the groups challenged with L and NL strains (P > 0·05). The non-luminescent strains were not able to revert back to the luminescent state and quorum sensing did not influence this phenotypic shift.
Conclusions: Luminescent Vibrio strains can switch to a non-luminescent state by culturing them in static conditions. The NL strains become less virulent as verified in Artemia.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The luminescent state of Vibrio cells in a culture needs to be verified in order to assure maintenance of virulence.
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