Previous Article | Next Article 
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 1999, p. 1110-1116, Vol. 65, No. 3
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Physiological Characterization of
Viable-but-Nonculturable Campylobacter jejuni
Cells
J. L.
Tholozan,1,*
J. M.
Cappelier,2
J. P.
Tissier,1
G.
Delattre,1 and
M.
Federighi2
Laboratoire de Génie des
Procédés et de Technologie Alimentaire, Institut National
de la Recherche Agronomique, F-59651 Villeneuve d'Ascq
Cedex,1 and Unité Associée
INRA d'Hygiène Alimentaire, Ecole Nationale
Vétérinaire de Nantes, F-44307 Nantes Cedex
03,2 France
Received 6 April 1998/Accepted 5 November 1998
Campylobacter jejuni is a pathogenic, microaerophilic,
gram-negative, mesophilic bacterium. Three strains isolated from humans with enteric campylobacteriosis were able to survive at high population levels (107 cells ml
1) as
viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) forms in microcosm water. The VBNC
forms of the three C. jejuni strains were enumerated and
characterized by using 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium
chloride-4',6-diamino-2-phenylindole staining. Cellular volume,
adenylate energy charge, internal pH, intracellular potassium
concentration, and membrane potential values were determined in
stationary-phase cell suspensions after 48 h of culture on
Columbia agar and after 1 to 30 days of incubation in microcosm water
and compared. A notable increase in cell volume was observed with the
VBNC state; the average cell volumes were 1.73 µl mg of
protein
1 for the culturable form and 10.96 µl mg of
protein
1 after 30 days of incubation in microcosm water.
Both the internal potassium content and the membrane potential were
significantly lower in the VBNC state than in the culturable state.
Culturable cells were able to maintain a difference of 0.6 to 0.9 pH
unit between the internal and external pH values; with VBNC cells this difference decreased progressively with time of incubation in microcosm
water. Measurements of the cellular adenylate nucleotide concentrations
revealed that the cells had a low adenylate energy charge (0.66 to
0.26) after 1 day of incubation in microcosm water, and AMP was the
only nucleotide detected in the three strains after 30 days of
incubation in microcosm water.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratoire de
Génie des Procédés et de Technologie Alimentaire,
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 369 rue J. Guesde, BP
39, F-59651 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France. Phone:
33-(0)3-20-43-54-24. Fax: 33-(0)3-20-43-54-65. E-mail:
tholozan{at}lille.inra.fr.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 1999, p. 1110-1116, Vol. 65, No. 3
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
McLennan, M. K., Ringoir, D. D., Frirdich, E., Svensson, S. L., Wells, D. H., Jarrell, H., Szymanski, C. M., Gaynor, E. C.
(2008). Campylobacter jejuni Biofilms Up-Regulated in the Absence of the Stringent Response Utilize a Calcofluor White-Reactive Polysaccharide. J. Bacteriol.
190: 1097-1107
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Idris, U., Lu, J., Maier, M., Sanchez, S., Hofacre, C. L., Harmon, B. G., Maurer, J. J., Lee, M. D.
(2006). Dissemination of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Campylobacter spp. within an Integrated Commercial Poultry Production System.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
72: 3441-3447
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Wolffs, P., Norling, B., Hoorfar, J., Griffiths, M., Radstrom, P.
(2005). Quantification of Campylobacter spp. in Chicken Rinse Samples by Using Flotation prior to Real-Time PCR. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
71: 5759-5764
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Schallenberg, M., Bremer, P. J., Henkel, S., Launhardt, A., Burns, C. W.
(2005). Survival of Campylobacter jejuni in Water: Effect of Grazing by the Freshwater Crustacean Daphnia carinata (Cladocera). Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
71: 5085-5088
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Guillier, L., Pardon, P., Augustin, J.-C.
(2005). Influence of Stress on Individual Lag Time Distributions of Listeria monocytogenes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
71: 2940-2948
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Rudi, K., Moen, B., Dromtorp, S. M., Holck, A. L.
(2005). Use of Ethidium Monoazide and PCR in Combination for Quantification of Viable and Dead Cells in Complex Samples. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
71: 1018-1024
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Seghers, D., Wittebolle, L., Top, E. M., Verstraete, W., Siciliano, S. D.
(2004). Impact of Agricultural Practices on the Zea mays L. Endophytic Community. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
70: 1475-1482
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Brandl, M. T., Haxo, A. F., Bates, A. H., Mandrell, R. E.
(2004). Comparison of Survival of Campylobacter jejuni in the Phyllosphere with That in the Rhizosphere of Spinach and Radish Plants. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
70: 1182-1189
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Gupte, A. R., de Rezende, C. L. E., Joseph, S. W.
(2003). Induction and Resuscitation of Viable but Nonculturable Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium DT104{dagger}. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
69: 6669-6675
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Chaveerach, P., ter Huurne, A. A. H. M., Lipman, L. J. A., van Knapen, F.
(2003). Survival and Resuscitation of Ten Strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli under Acid Conditions. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
69: 711-714
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Alonso, J. L., Mascellaro, S., Moreno, Y., Ferrus, M. A., Hernandez, J.
(2002). Double-Staining Method for Differentiation of Morphological Changes and Membrane Integrity of Campylobacter coli Cells. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
68: 5151-5154
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Reiter, B., Pfeifer, U., Schwab, H., Sessitsch, A.
(2002). Response of Endophytic Bacterial Communities in Potato Plants to Infection with Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
68: 2261-2268
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Chan, K. F., Le Tran, H., Kanenaka, R. Y., Kathariou, S.
(2001). Survival of Clinical and Poultry-Derived Isolates of Campylobacter jejuni at a Low Temperature (4{degrees}C). Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
67: 4186-4191
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Lázaro, B., Cárcamo, J., Audícana, A., Perales, I., Fernández-Astorga, A.
(1999). Viability and DNA Maintenance in Nonculturable Spiral Campylobacter jejuni Cells after Long-Term Exposure to Low Temperatures. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
65: 4677-4681
[Abstract]
[Full Text]