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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2003, p. 6250-6256, Vol. 69, No. 10
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.10.6250-6256.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Invasion of Spores of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Gigaspora decipiens by Burkholderia spp.

Avram Levy,¹ Barbara J. Chang,¹ Lynette K. Abbott,² John Kuo,³ Gerry Harnett,⁴ and Timothy J. J. Inglis^4*

Microbiology, School of Biomedical and Chemical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre,¹ Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences,² Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Western Australia,³ Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Western Australian Centre for Pathology and Medical Research, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Australia⁴

Received 26 February 2003/ Accepted 15 July 2003

Burkholderia species are bacterial soil inhabitants that are capable of interacting with a variety of eukaryotes, in some cases occupying intracellular habitats. Pathogenic and nonpathogenic Burkholderia spp., including B. vietnamiensis, B. cepacia, and B. pseudomallei, were grown on germinating spores of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora decipiens. Spore lysis assays revealed that all Burkholderia spp. tested were able to colonize the interior of G. decipiens spores. Amplification of specific DNA sequences and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the intracellular presence of B. vietnamiensis. Twelve percent of all spores were invaded by B. vietnamiensis, with an average of 1.5 x 10⁶ CFU recovered from individual infected spores. Of those spores inoculated with B. pseudomallei, 7% were invaded, with an average of 5.5 x 10⁵ CFU recovered from individual infected spores. Scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy provided insights into the morphology of surfaces of spores and hyphae of G. decipiens and the attachment of bacteria. Burkholderia spp. colonized both hyphae and spores, attaching to surfaces in either an end-on or side-on fashion. Adherence of Burkholderia spp. to eukaryotic surfaces also involved the formation of numerous fibrillar structures.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Western Australian Centre for Pathology and Medical Research, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. Phone: (08) 9346 3461. Fax: (08) 9364 5614. E-mail: tim.inglis{at}health.wa.gov.au.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2003, p. 6250-6256, Vol. 69, No. 10
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.10.6250-6256.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Inglis, T. J. J., Sagripanti, J.-L. (2006). Environmental Factors That Affect the Survival and Persistence of Burkholderia pseudomallei. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 6865-6875 [Full Text]  
• Bianciotto, V., Genre, A., Jargeat, P., Lumini, E., Becard, G., Bonfante, P. (2004). Vertical Transmission of Endobacteria in the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Gigaspora margarita through Generation of Vegetative Spores. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 3600-3608 [Abstract] [Full Text]