Adhesion of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum to unfertilized eggs of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and n-hexadecane.
OBJECTIVE
The ability of Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the causative agent of rainbow trout fry syndrome (RTFS) in fish, to attach to unfertilized rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs and to hydrocarbon n-hexadecane was examined in the present study.


RESULTS
Five different isolates of Fl. psychrophilum obtained from a variety of origins were compared. The effect of the age of the bacterium and conditions of starvation on the ability of the bacterium to adhere, were also evaluated.


CONCLUSIONS
The different isolates were found to exhibit a similar ability to attach to both substrates. Increased surface hydrophobicity and a greater ability to attach to the surface of the eggs were observed with bacteria aged for one month, compared to bacteria cultured in Cytophaga agar for only three days.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide useful information regarding the pathogenicity of RTFS, especially during the initial steps of infection.
Vatsos
I N
IN
Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK. ivl@stir.ac.uk
Thompson
K D
KD
Adams
A
A
D000473:Alkanes; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D003470:Culture Media; D005417:Flavobacterium / Q000502:physiology*; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000382:microbiology*; D010063:Ovum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
D000473:Alkanes; D003470:Culture Media; C007932:n-hexadecane