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The Citrobacter rodentium Mouse Model: Studying Pathogen and Host Contributions to Infectious Colitis
11:04

The Citrobacter rodentium Mouse Model: Studying Pathogen and Host Contributions to Infectious Colitis

Published on: February 19, 2013

A generalized transducing phage for the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium

Nicola K Petty1, Ana L Toribio2, David Goulding2

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK.

Microbiology (Reading, England)
|September 5, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Researchers isolated phiCR1, a novel bacteriophage, for studying Citrobacter rodentium, a mouse pathogen. This transducing phage will aid in understanding C. rodentium and related human pathogens.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Citrobacter rodentium is a natural pathogen of mice, inducing transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia.
  • C. rodentium serves as a crucial model organism for studying human pathogens like enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize a novel bacteriophage for Citrobacter rodentium.
  • To establish a tool for functional genomic analysis of C. rodentium.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of a virulent phage (phiCR1) from the environment.
  • Determination of phage receptor specificity (lipopolysaccharide).
  • Assessment of the phage's transduction capabilities for various markers.

Main Results:

  • phiCR1, a virulent phage, was successfully isolated and characterized.
  • phiCR1 utilizes a lipopolysaccharide receptor and possesses a genome of approximately 300 kb.
  • The phage demonstrated the ability to transduce a variety of genetic markers in C. rodentium.

Conclusions:

  • phiCR1 is the first reported transducing phage for Citrobacter rodentium.
  • This phage represents a valuable new tool for functional genomic studies of this important murine pathogen.

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