title: Biochemical and biological characterization of ruminal Fusobacterium necrophorum.
abstract: Biochemical characteristics, biological activities, and antimicrobial susceptibilities of ruminal Fusobacterium necrophorum (eight subsp. necrophorum and eight subsp. funduliforme) and of isolates (three of each subsp.) obtained from bovine hepatic abscesses were determined. F. necrophorum subsp. necrophorum strains had higher phosphatase and DNase activities, produced more leukotoxin, and were more pathogenic to mice than subsp. funduliforme strains. The leukotoxin titer for culture supernatants of ruminal subsp. necrophorum strains was approximately 15 times lower than that of hepatic subsp. necrophorum strains. Hemagglutination activity was present in all hepatic, but only in some ruminal, strains of subsp. necrophorum. The antimicrobial sensitivity profile of the ruminal isolates was similar to that of hepatic isolates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506.
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Nagaraja
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Chengappa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D005675:Fusobacterium necrophorum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006384:Hemagglutination; D006461:Hemolysis; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D012417:Rumen / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005098:Exotoxins; C018579:leukotoxin; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases