title: Pili of an Aeromonas hydrophila strain as a possible colonization factor.
abstract: Aeromonas hydrophila Ae6 had 2 morphologically distinctive kinds of pili. One appeared rigid and straight with a diameter of 9 nm (R-pili). The other appeared wavy and flexible with a diameter of 7 nm (W-pili). W-pili were very few on the cell as compared with R-pili. In this study, W-pili were purified and characterized. The pili consisted of a subunit protein with a molecular weight of 21 kDa as estimated by SDS-PAGE. There was no immunological cross-reaction between W-pili and other cellular components. The strain Ae6 and its purified W-pili adhered to human and rabbit intestine and agglutinated human and rabbit erythrocytes. Organisms pretreated with the Fab fraction of anti-pilus antibody failed to adhere to the intestine. Pretreatment of intestine with purified W-pili blocked adherence of the organisms to the intestine. These results suggest that the W-pili are the colonization factor of A. hydrophila Ae6.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine, Okinawa.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hokama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakasone
mesh_terms: D000333:Aeromonas / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002498:Centrifugation; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006384:Hemagglutination; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D011817:Rabbits