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Caenorhabditis elegans: plague bacteria biofilm blocks food intake

Creg Darby1, Jennifer W Hsu, Nafisa Ghori

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA. cdarby@stanford.edu

Nature
|May 17, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Yersinia pestis bacteria form biofilms in fleas, blocking their digestive tracts. This biofilm formation prevents nematode predation and aids in bubonic plague transmission to mammals.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • Bubonic plague is transmitted via fleas with blocked digestive tracts containing Yersinia pestis.
  • The hmsHFRS operon in Y. pestis is crucial for this blockage, but the matrix composition is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the composition of the extracellular matrix surrounding Yersinia pestis in fleas.
  • To determine the role of the hmsHFRS operon in biofilm formation and its implications for flea feeding and invertebrate predation.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated Yersinia pestis biofilm formation in vitro.
  • Utilized genetic manipulation of the hmsHFRS operon.
  • Observed inhibition of feeding in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Main Results:

  • Yersinia pestis forms an extracellular biofilm dependent on the hmsHFRS operon.
  • This biofilm formation inhibits the feeding of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
  • The results suggest biofilm-mediated feeding obstruction in fleas.

Conclusions:

  • Biofilm formation by Yersinia pestis is a key factor in flea feeding obstruction.
  • Biofilms may serve as a bacterial defense mechanism against invertebrate predators.
  • Understanding this process is crucial for controlling plague transmission.

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