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Morphological features of a filamentous phage of Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal
S Shimodori1, K Iida, F Kojima
1School of Health Sciences, Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Abstract:
A filamentous phage was isolated from carrier strain AI-1841 of Vibrio cholerae 0139 Bengal and thus was termed fs phage. The phage was measured to be approximately 1 microm in length and 6 nm in width. One end of the phage was slightly tapered and had a fibrous appendage. The plaques developed on strain AI-4450 of V. cholerae 0139 were small and turbid. The phage grew in strain AI-4450 and reached a size of 10(8) to 10(9) pfu/ml at 5 hr after infection without inducing any lysis of the host bacteria. The group of phages attached on rod-shaped materials like fimbriae of this bacteria, with their fibrous appendages at the pointed end, were often found in the phage-infected culture. The anti-fimbrial serum effectively inhibited the infection of fs phage to the host strain AI-4450. We thus concluded that the phage can be adsorbed on fimbriae with a fibrous appendage on the pointed end of the phage filament.
Insights
A novel filamentous phage, termed fs phage, was isolated from Vibrio cholerae. This phage specifically adsorbs to bacterial fimbriae via a fibrous appendage, impacting host interaction.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Bacteriology
Background:
- Vibrio cholerae 0139 Bengal is an important pathogen.
- Filamentous phages are viruses that infect bacteria.
- Understanding phage-host interactions is crucial for microbial research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize a filamentous phage from Vibrio cholerae 0139.
- To investigate the mechanism of fs phage adsorption to its host.
- To explore the role of bacterial fimbriae in phage infection.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of filamentous phage (fs phage) from Vibrio cholerae.
- Morphological analysis of the phage.
- Plaque assays and growth curve analysis in host bacteria.
- Electron microscopy to observe phage-host attachment.
- Inhibition assays using anti-fimbrial serum.
Main Results:
- A filamentous phage (fs phage) was isolated from Vibrio cholerae 0139.
- The phage measured 1 µm in length and 6 nm in width, with a tapered end featuring a fibrous appendage.
- Phage replication reached 10^8–10^9 pfu/ml within 5 hours without host lysis.
- Phages were observed attached to bacterial fimbriae.
- Anti-fimbrial serum significantly inhibited phage infection.
Conclusions:
- The fs phage utilizes bacterial fimbriae for adsorption.
- The fibrous appendage on the phage's pointed end plays a key role in fimbrial attachment.
- This finding provides insights into specific phage-host recognition mechanisms in Vibrio cholerae.