Ma. Hood et Pa. Winter, ATTACHMENT OF VIBRIO-CHOLERAE UNDER VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL-CONDITIONS AND TO SELECTED SUBSTRATES, FEMS microbiology, ecology, 22(3), 1997, pp. 215-223
Attachment rates of Vibrio cholerae (three tox(+) strains of serotype
01 and two non-01's) were examined using epifluorescent microscopy and
TEM. The effects of temperature, pH, various ions and nutrient starva
tion on attachment were determined. Optimum attachment occurred at 35
degrees C, pH 2, concentrations of 1.0-1.5% NaCl, 1.0-1.5% KCl, 0.5-0.
1% MgCl2 (with 1.0% NaCl), and 1.0-0.5% CaCl2 (with 1.0% NaCl). After
one day of starvation, attachment declined by 75% with little change d
uring further starvation. Adhesion to a variety of non-living substrat
es, more than 25 species of algae, and three species of aquatic plants
was examined using direct fluorescent staining, fluorescent monoclona
l antibody and epifluorescent microscopy. Attachment was expressed num
erically as an adhesion index. The highest rate of attachment to natur
al substrates occurred with (some forms of) chitin and diatomaceous ea
rth. Highest rates on algae were noted on three species of green algae
, one species of red and one species of yellow green. Since V. cholera
e can readily attach to many substrates common in tropic and semi-trop
ical estuarine waters and under conditions typical of estuarine and ma
rine waters, this is consistent with the hypothesis that the estuarine
environment is an ideal reservoir for cholera-causing strains of V. c
holerae.