title: O-serogrouping and surface components of Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas jandaei pathogenic for eels.
abstract: The relationship between virulence, O-serogroup, and some cell-surface features (self-pelleting [SP] and precipitation after boiling [PAB], profile of lipopolysaccharides [LPSs] and outer membrane proteins [OMPs]) was investigated in strains of the pathogenic species Aeromonas hydrophila and A. jandaei isolated from eels. Virulent strains of A. hydrophila reacted mostly with O:19 antiserum, and those of A. jandaei reacted with O:4, O:11, O:15 and O:29 antisera (Guinée and Jansen system). Regarding the PAB and LPS profiles two groups could be distinguished; (i) five PAB+ strains of serotype O:19 that possessed a homogeneous O polysaccharide side chain and (ii) thirteen PAB- strains antigenically diverse that either exhibited a heterogeneous side chain or were side chain deficient. A major 50 kDa protein was only found in the PAB+ strains, whereas major OMPs detected in PAB- strains ranged from 33 to 45 kDa irrespective of the species. Epizootic eel isolates of A. hydrophila belong to serotype O:19 and share cell-surface features with the Aeromonas highly virulent for other hosts. In contrast, epizootic A. jandaei isolates were antigenically diverse. These findings reinforce the importance of an O-serotype as an epidemiological marker in motile Aeromonas strains pathogenic for eels.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Esteve
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amaro
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Toranzo
mesh_terms: D000333:Aeromonas / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016980:Aeromonas hydrophila / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D004524:Eels / Q000382:microbiology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D019081:O Antigens; D010641:Phenotype; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D012703:Serotyping; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D019081:O Antigens; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial