The Aggregation of Brucella Abortus Occurs Under Microaerobic Conditions and Promotes Desiccation Tolerance and Biofilm Formation

Overview

Journal Open Microbiol J

Publisher Bentham Open

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2013 Jun 27

PMID 23802025

Citations 14

Authors

Marta A Almiron

Mara S Roset

Norberto Sanjuan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Brucella abortus causes brucellosis mainly in cattle. The infection is transmitted to humans by ingestion of animal products or direct contact with infected material. While the intracellular lifestyle of Brucella is well characterized, its extracellular survival is poorly understood. In nature, bacterial persistence is associated with biofilms, where aggregated cells are protected from adversity. The inability of Brucella abortus to aggregate under aerobiosis and that fact that the replicative niche of Brucella is characterized by microaerobic conditions prompted us to investigate the capacity of this pathogen to aggregate and grow in biofilms under microaerobiotic conditions. The results show that B. abortus aggregates and produces biofilms. The aggregates tolerate desiccation better than planktonic cells do, adhere and displace even in the absence of the lipopolysaccharide-O antigen, flagella, the transcriptional regulator VjbR, or the enzymes that synthesize, transport, and modify cyclic β (1,2) glucan.

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