Author:
Runft Donna L.,Mitchell Kristie C.,Abuaita Basel H.,Allen Jonathan P.,Bajer Sarah,Ginsburg Kevin,Neely Melody N.,Withey Jeffrey H.
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe human diarrheal disease cholera is caused by the aquatic bacteriumVibrio cholerae.V. choleraein the environment is associated with several varieties of aquatic life, including insect egg masses, shellfish, and vertebrate fish. Here we describe a novel animal model forV. cholerae, the zebrafish. PandemicV. choleraestrains specifically colonize the zebrafish intestinal tract after exposure in water with no manipulation of the animal required. Colonization occurs in close contact with the intestinal epithelium and mimics colonization observed in mammals. Zebrafish that are colonized byV. choleraetransmit the bacteria to naive fish, which then become colonized. Striking differences in colonization betweenV. choleraeclassical and El Tor biotypes were apparent. The zebrafish natural habitat in Asia heavily overlaps areas where cholera is endemic, suggesting that zebrafish andV. choleraeevolved in close contact with each other. Thus, the zebrafish provides a natural host model for the study ofV. choleraecolonization, transmission, and environmental survival.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Ecology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,Food Science,Biotechnology
Cited by
88 articles.
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