title: Motility-regulated mucin association of Serpulina pilosicoli, the agent of colonic spirochetosis of humans and animals.
abstract: Colonic spirochetosis is a disease of humans and animals characterized by colonization of the colonic mucus gel and intimate attachment of Serpulina pilosicoli to the apical membrane of enterocytes. Motility-regulated mucin association plays a key role in colonic infection by the related spirochete Serpulina hyodysenteriae, the cause of swine dysentery. In this study the chemotaxis of Serpulina pilosicoli porcine isolate P43/6/78, human isolate SP16, and canine isolate 16242-94 was examined by anaerobic incubation of each spirochete in control medium or medium containing increasing concentrations of D-L serine or porcine gastric mucin (PGM). The porcine isolate had a chemotactic response towards 10 mM D-L serine, but not towards PGM. By contrast, the human and canine isolates were attracted towards 0.1% PGM, but not towards DL-serine. The composition of the growth medium appeared to modulate the chemotactic response of S. pilosicoli towards PGM; the loss of a chemotactic response of spirochetes grown in medium without pig fecal extract was restored by growing the spirochetes in medium containing 0.1% PGM. Serpulina pilosicoli displays a chemotactic response towards PGM which is modulated by the presence of certain substrate during the growth phase of the spirochete.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 68583-0905, USA.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Witters
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Duhamel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017400:Brachyspira / Q000502:physiology*; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000502:physiology*; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs; D005752:Gastric Mucins / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013145:Spirochaetales Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D005752:Gastric Mucins