Role of motility in adherence to and invasion of a fish cell line by Vibrio anguillarum

To understand further the role of the flagellum of Vibrio anguillarum in vi rulence, invasive and adhesive properties of isogenic motility mutants were analyzed by using a chinook salmon embryo cell line. Adhesion was unaffect ed but invasion of the cell line was significantly decreased in nonmotile o r partially motile mutants, and the chemotactic mutant was hyperinvasive. T hese results suggest that active motility aids invasion by V. anguillarum, both in vivo and in vitro.