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Updated: May 31, 2026

Induction of Cellular Differentiation and Single Cell Imaging of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Swimmer and Swarmer Cells
Published on: May 15, 2017
Acidic environments induce differentiation of Proteus mirabilis into swarmer morphotypes
Masatoshi Fujihara1, Hisato Obara, Yusaku Watanabe
1Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Iwate, Japan.
Abstract:
Although swarmer morphotypes of Proteus mirabilis have long been considered to result from surfaced-induced differentiation, the present findings show that, in broth medium containing urea, acidic conditions transform some swimmer cells into elongated swarmer cells. This study has also demonstrates that P. mirabilis cells grown in acidic broth medium containing urea enhance virulence factors such as flagella production and cytotoxicity to human bladder carcinoma cell line T24, though no significant difference in urease activity under different pH conditions was found. Since there is little published data on the behavior of P. mirabilis at various hydrogen-ion concentrations, the present study may clarify aspects of cellular differentiation of P. mirabilis in patients at risk of struvite formation due to infection with urease-producing bacteria, as well as in some animals with acidic or alkaline urine.
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