Start | Browse by Day | Author Index | Personal Scheduler

T2-10 Effects of Sequential Lipooligosaccharide Core Truncations on the Ability of Campylobacter jejuni to Attach to and Form Biofilms on Glass under Aerobic Conditions

Monday, August 4, 2014: 11:15 AM
Room 203-204 (Indiana Convention Center)
Vu Tuan Nguyen, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
Taketoshi Iwata, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
Masahiro Kusumoto, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
Masato Akiba, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
Audio File Recorded Presentation
Introduction: Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial human foodborne gastroenteritis. The ability to attach to, and form biofilms on surfaces is important in the transmission of C. jejuni through food systems, leading to infections. The lipooligosaccharide (LOS) constitutes the outermost layer of C. jejuni cells and hence, is likely to be involved in interactions between the organism and surfaces.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate if sequential LOS core truncations affect the ability of C. jejuni to attach to and form biofilms on glass under aerobic conditions.

Methods: LOS core of two C. jejuni strains, NCTC 11168 and 81-176 were sequentially truncated by inactivating genes encoding glycosyltransferases including waaC, waaF, cj1135, cj1136, cj1138, cjj1152, and cjj1165. The isogenic mutants and their wild-type were compared with respect to the numbers of attached cells, biofilm levels, autoagglutination (AAG) activity, and extracellular DNA (eDNA) production.

Results: LOS mutants exhibited increased or similar attachment, biofilm formation and AAG activity as compared to the wild-type except that two mutants lacking LOS core from glucose (11168-cj1135 and 81-176-cjj1152) showed significantly (P < 0.05) reduced AAG activity. There was no significant (P > 0.05) difference between all LOS mutants and the wild-type with respect to eDNA production. Biofilm levels significantly correlated to numbers of attached cells (P = 0.0001, R2 = 0.831) but not to AAG activity and eDNA levels (P > 0.343, R2 < 0.100).

Significance: These data suggest that sequential LOS core truncations may increase or not affect the ability of C. jejuni to attach to and form biofilms on glass, and changes in bacterial attachment due to LOS core truncations may influence biofilm formation by C. jejuni. These findings contribute towards a better understanding the mechanism of C. jejuni attachment and biofilm formation which may assist in reducing food contamination by this pathogen.

Back to: Technical Session - Pathogens
<< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>