title: Identification of capsule, biofilm, lateral flagellum, and type IV pili in Vibrio mimicus strains.
abstract: Vibrio mimicus is a bacterium that causes gastroenteritis; it is closely related to Vibrio cholerae, and can cause acute diarrhea like cholera- or dysentery-type diarrhea. It is distributed worldwide. Factors associated with virulence (such as hemolysins, enterotoxins, proteases, phospholipases, aerobactin, and hemagglutinin) have been identified; however, its pathogenicity mechanism is still unknown. In pathogenic Vibrio species such as V. cholerae, Vibrio. parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, capsule, biofilms, lateral flagellum, and type IV pili are structures described as essential for pathogenicity. These structures had not been described in V. mimicus until this work. We used 20 V. mimicus strains isolated from water (6), oyster (9), and fish (5) samples and we were able to identify the capsule, biofilm, lateral flagellum, and type IV pili through phenotypic tests, electron microscopy, PCR, and sequencing. In all tested strains, we observed and identified the presence of capsular exopolysaccharide, biofilm formation in an in vitro model, as well as swarming, multiple flagellation, and pili. In addition, we identified homologous genes to those described in other bacteria of the genus in which these structures have been found. Identification of these structures in V. mimicus is a contribution to the biology of this organism and can help to reveal its pathogenic behavior.
authors.affiliation: Posgrado de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México; Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco No.186, Col. Vicentina C.P. 09340, México.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tercero-Alburo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Expresión Génica División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco No.186, Col. Vicentina C.P. 09340, México.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: González-Márquez
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Expresión Génica División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco No.186, Col. Vicentina C.P. 09340, México.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonilla-González
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Microbiología Sanitaria, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala S/N Col, Santo Tomás C.P. 11340, Distrito Federal, México.
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Quiñones-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco No.186, Col. Vicentina C.P. 09340, México. Electronic address: cvs@xanum.uam.mx.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Salinas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005399:Fishes / Q000382:microbiology; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D044164:Vibrio mimicus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Biofilm; Capsule; Lateral flagellum; Pili; Vibrio mimicus