title: Adhesion and cytotoxicity of Aeromonas caviae to rabbit intestinal epithelium ex vivo.
abstract: Aeromonads are considered potential pathogens for humans and animals and are responsible for the etiology of intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. The presence of Aeromonas spp. in food and water shows that it is an important vehicle of infection in humans. The pathology caused by these bacteria involves several virulence factors, such as the ability to produce toxins, adhesion and invasion. The present study investigated the interaction of five Aeromonas caviae strains isolated from human diarrheic faeces with rabbit ileal and colonic mucosa ex vivo, using in vitro organ culture model. The in vitro adhesion assays using cultured tissue were performed with A. caviae strains co-incubated with intestinal fragments of ileum and colon over a period of 6 h. The fragments were analyzed by light and electron microscopy. All strains adhered to rabbit ileal and colonic mucosa ex vivo, with higher degree of adherence presented on colonic mucosa. The typical aggregative adherence pattern was observed among strains studied. Through electron and light microscopy, we observed extensive colonization of ileal and colonic mucosa, large mucus production, biofilm formation and morphological alterations such as intense vacuolization, structural disorganization, cell extrusion and destruction of the villi. These results demonstrate that in vitro organ culture of intestinal mucosa from rabbit may be used to investigate Aeromonas spp.
  
  
  METHODS
  Finally, our results support the pathogenic potential of Aeromonas emphasising their importance in public health.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de setembro, 87- fundos, 3° andar, Vila Isabel, RJ, CEP: 20551-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Azevedo
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de setembro, 87- fundos, 3° andar, Vila Isabel, RJ, CEP: 20551-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Claudia Machado
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de setembro, 87- fundos, 3° andar, Vila Isabel, RJ, CEP: 20551-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Luís Lopes
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de setembro, 87- fundos, 3° andar, Vila Isabel, RJ, CEP: 20551-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Cláudia Paula
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de setembro, 87- fundos, 3° andar, Vila Isabel, RJ, CEP: 20551-030, Brazil. freitasalmeida@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Angela Corrêa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Freitas-Almeida
mesh_terms: D057585:Aeromonas caviae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits; D014774:Virulence
keywords: Adhesion; Aeromonas caviae; Cytotoxicity; In vitro organ culture (IVOC); Rabbit