Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Because Vibrio aestuarianus is known to cause serious infections in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, a real-time PCR assay was developed targeting the dnaJ gene of this bacterium. Only V. aestuarianus strains isolated from C. gigas mortality events in different geographic areas and the reference strain tested positive, whereas no amplification products was obtained with type strains belonging to 23 other species of Vibrio. Sensitivity and reproducibility of the method were assessed using either seawater or oyster homogenate samples spiked with one V aestuarianus strain. All these samples were stored at -20 degrees C in order to mimic retrospective or grouped natural sample analysis without quantification bias due to prolonged freezing. Analysis of standard curves revealed excellent correlation values between light microscopy cell enumerations and PCR Threshold Cycle (Ct) values, and acceptable PCR reaction efficiencies for all type of samples. Quantification curves of both sample types were equivalent, with a detection level as low as 1.6 V. aestuarianus cells in the PCR reaction tube, corresponding to 1.6.10(2) cells ml(-1) and 1.6.10(2) cells mg(-1) in seawater and entire oyster samples, respectively, taking into account the dilution factor used for appropriate template DNA preparation. Comparison of PCR assay reproducibility according to the complexity of samples revealed that seawater samples gave more reproducible quantification measures than samples from oyster homogenate, with precision of measured Ct values inferior to 0.4 and 0.6 respectively at 99% confidence. Use of the real-time PCR assay allowed us to monitor V. aestuarianus load in oysters naturally infected with this pathogen. Furthermore, we were able to detect V aestuarianus in samples of seawater in which oysters had been reared and in algal cultures used for feeding oysters. Because of the rapidity and reliability of the real-time PCR assay method used in this study, just a few hours are needed compared with the two days required using the classic culture method, this technique will be particularly valuable in mollusc pathology laboratories, for monitoring the source and course of infections by V. aestuarianus in pathogenesis and epidemiologic studies, as well as for designing appropriate prophylactic control measures. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Journal of Microbiological Methods (0167-7012) (Elsevier), 2009-05 , Vol. 77 , N. 2 , P. 191-197

Droits : 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6447.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.mimet.2009.01.021
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6447/

Éditeur(s) : Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Extracellular products (ECPs) of the pathogenic Vibrio aestuarianus 01/32 were previously reported to display lethality in Crassostrea gigas oysters and to cause morphological changes and immunosuppression in oyster hemocytes. To identify the source of this toxicity, biochemical and genetic approaches were developed. ECP protease activity and lethality were shown to be significantly reduced following incubation with metal chelators, suggesting the involvement of a zinc metalloprotease. An open reading frame of 1836 bp encoding a 611-aa metalloprotease (designated yam) was identified. The deduced protein sequence showed high homology to other Vibrio metalloproteases reported to be involved in pathogenicity. To further confirm the role of this enzyme in ECP toxicity, a plasmid carrying the yarn gene under the control of an araC-P-BAD expression cassette was transferred to a Vibrio splendidus related strain, LMC20012(T), previously characterized as non-pathogenic to oysters. Expression of Vam conferred a toxic phenotype to LMG20012(T) ECPs in vivo and cytotoxicity to oyster hemocytes in vitro. Collectively, these data suggest that the Vam metalloprotease is a major contributor to the toxicity induced by V aestuarianus ECPs and is involved in the impairment of oyster hemocyte functions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fish & Shellfish Immunology (1050-4648) (Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd), 2010-11 , Vol. 29 , N. 5 , P. 753-758

Droits : 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00015/12649/9588.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.fsi.2010.07.007
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00015/12649/