Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Measurement of Chitinase Activity in Biological Samples
Published on: August 22, 2019
Chondroitin AC lyase activity is related to virulence of fish pathogenic Flavobacterium columnare
L-R Suomalainen1, M Tiirola, E T Valtonen
1Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland. lottari@bytl.jyu.fi
Abstract:
The virulence of eight Flavobacterium columnare strains was studied to find correlations between several virulence-related factors and virulence. Virulence was tested in vivo using rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Suggested virulence-related factors such as production of the degradative enzyme chondroitin lyase, plasmid occurrence and adhesion capability were studied in vitro. Infection with the four most virulent strains resulted in 95-100% mortality within 114 h. Chondroitin lyase activity was found to be significantly related to the virulence of the strains at 25 degrees C and it was also shown to be temperature-dependent, being higher at 25 degrees C than at 20 degrees C. Virulence was not plasmid associated. The adhesion capability of the strains in vitro varied substantially when tested on crude mucus-coated slides and no statistical relationship between adhesion and virulence was found using this method.
Related Concept Videos
Determinants of Bacterial Pathogenicity and Virulence
Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
