title: Adhesion of high and low virulence Flavobacterium psychrophilum strains to isolated gill arches of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.
abstract: The ability of Flavobacterium psychrophilum to adhere to the gill tissue of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was evaluated. A gill perfusion model was adopted, offering a number of advantages compared to other in vitro as well as in vivo models. A comparison between the adhesion capacity of a high and low virulence F. psychrophilum strain was made. Experiments were additionally carried out to assess the influence of water quality (organic material, nitrite) and temperature on the adhesion process of the bacterial cells. The high virulence strain attached more readily to the gill tissue than did the low virulence strain. Moreover, the adherence of the high virulence strain of F. psychrophilum was influenced by a number of factors. These were immersion of the gill arches in water to which organic material or nitrite were added, and elevated temperature. The former 2 increased the adhesion ability, while the latter had a negative influence on the adherence process.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Bacteriology and Mycology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. amin.nematollahi@rug.ac.be
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nematollahi
authors.forename: Annemie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Decostere
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pasmans
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D005417:Flavobacterium / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D005880:Gills / Q000382:microbiology*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000382:microbiology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D013696:Temperature; D014774:Virulence; D014871:Water Microbiology