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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2003, p. 4268-4271, Vol. 69, No. 7
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.7.4268-4271.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Complement Resistance Is Essential for Colonization of the Digestive Tract of Hirudo medicinalis by Aeromonas Strains

Thomas R. Braschler,1 Susana Merino,2 Juan M. Tomás,2 and Joerg Graf1,3*

Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Berne, CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland,1 Departamento Microbiología, Facultad Biología, Universidad Barcelona, 08071 Barcelona, Spain,2 Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 062693

Received 19 September 2002/ Accepted 14 April 2003

From the crop of the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, only Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria can be cultured consistently. Serum-sensitive A. veronii mutants were unable to colonize H. medicinalis, indicating the importance of the mammalian complement system for this unusual simplicity. Complementation of one selected mutant restored its ability to colonize. Serum-sensitive mutants are the first mutant class with a colonization defect for this symbiosis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, 91 North Eagleville Rd., Unit 3125, Storrs, CT 06269-3125. Phone: (860) 486-9284. Fax: (860) 486-4331. E-mail: joerg.graf{at}uconn.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2003, p. 4268-4271, Vol. 69, No. 7
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.7.4268-4271.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Silver, A. C., Rabinowitz, N. M., Kuffer, S., Graf, J. (2007). Identification of Aeromonas veronii Genes Required for Colonization of the Medicinal Leech, Hirudo verbana. J. Bacteriol. 189: 6763-6772 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Silver, A. C., Kikuchi, Y., Fadl, A. A., Sha, J., Chopra, A. K., Graf, J. (2007). Interaction between innate immune cells and a bacterial type III secretion system in mutualistic and pathogenic associations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 9481-9486 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kikuchi, Y., Graf, J. (2007). Spatial and Temporal Population Dynamics of a Naturally Occurring Two-Species Microbial Community inside the Digestive Tract of the Medicinal Leech. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1984-1991 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Worthen, P. L., Gode, C. J., Graf, J. (2006). Culture-independent characterization of the digestive-tract microbiota of the medicinal leech reveals a tripartite symbiosis.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4775-4781 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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