title: Green fluorescent protein-tagged Edwardsiella tarda reveals portal of entry in fish.
abstract: The application of green fluorescent protein (GFP) to identify the portal(s) of entry of bacterial pathogens in animal hosts was studied using the fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda and blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus. An immersion challenge model was utilized to mimic natural infection conditions in fish. Gastrointestinal tract, gills and the body surface of fish were found to be the sites of entry of virulent E. tarda (PPD130/91) by histological and infection kinetics studies. On the other hand, avirulent E. tarda (PPD125/87) was mainly found in the gastrointestinal tract, and the bacterial population in tissue declined over a period of 7 days.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, 119260, Singapore.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020609:Edwardsiella tarda / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005399:Fishes; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins