Evaluation of the ability of cholera vibrios to form a biofilm on the surface of the chitinous shell of a crayfish by real-time PCR

Abstract

Introduction. Most of the bacteria exist in natural ecosystems not in the form of free floating cells; but in the form of biofilms attached to the substrate. One of the most ecologically important substrates is chitin. Vibrio cholerae; like most members of the Vibrionaceae family; has a chitinolytic complex and can degrade chitin. The ability of V. cholerae to form a biofilm on chitinous substrates can explain the mechanism of the formation of an ecological niche for the preservation and transfer of the pathogen to new regions with the likelihood of the formation of new foci of cholera.Aim — to determine the ability of V. cholerae to form a biofilm on the chitinous shell of crayfish (Astacus astacus) by means of real-time PCR.Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of the timing of biofilm formation by V. cholerae of different serogroups and toxigenicity was carried out.Results. In the course of the study; it was found that cholera vibrios were shown to be capable of forming a biofilm regardless the serogroup and toxigenicity. However; toxigenic tcpA+ strains have a higher intensity of biofilm formation than nontoxigenic ones; in which the tcpA gene is absent.

Keywords

• vibrio cholerae
• biofilm
• chitin
• biofilm formation index