Proteases secreted by strains of Aeromonas salmonicida

Abstract. The proteases secreted by four strains (MT004, 1102, 480 and 480P^-) of Aeromonas salmonicida grown in liquid culture have been studied. Strains MT004, 1102 and 480 all show a similar pattern with two types of proteases produced; one of molecular weight 70 000 which is active against casein and gelatin and one (or more) of lower molecular weight (about 20 000) which is (are) active against gelatin but not casein. Strain 480P^- produces only the latter type of protease(s). The protease of molecular weight 70 000 is classified as a serine-type protease, but further characterization of the features of its active site has not yet proved possible. The results are discussed in terms of the previously published but often contradictory data on the proteases of A. salmonicida.     

Lack of relationship between virulence of Aeromonas salmonicida and the putative virulence factors: A-layer, extracellular proteases and extracellular haemolysins

Abstract The role of A-layer (A), protease (P) and haemolysin (H) as virulence factors of Aeromonas salmonicida, the aetiological agent of fish furunculosis, was a investigated using three strains of the bacterium. Strain MT004 lacked the A-Iayer (A⁻) and produced extracellular caseinase and gelatinase (P⁺) and haemolysin (T-lysin; H⁺). Strain MT028 was A⁻, P⁻ and H⁻, and strain MT048 was A⁺, P⁺ and H⁻. The pathology and LD50 produced in rainbow trout by cells or extracellular products (ECP) of each strain were determined. The ECP was produced by two different methods where the protease and haemolytic activities differed in relative levels, or when the protease of MT004 ECP was inhibited by the serine protease inhibitor PMSF. The results indicate that the presence of A-layer is not essential, at least for a moderate degree of virulence; that in vitro production of extracellular proteases is not a requisite of virulent strains; that presence of protease and haemolysin in ECP can be correlated with the development of certain lesions and a rapid time to death but cannot be correlated with the lethal toxicity of the ECP. The authors conclude that an as-yet unrecognized component of ECP is responsible for killing fish.     

Analysis of exotoxins produced by atypical isolates of Aeromonas salmonicida,by enzymatic and serological methods

In this study, exotoxins produced by 62 Aeromonas salmonicida strains and the bacterium Haemophilus piscium were analysed. Enzymatic assays, zymograms and serological detection were used to monitor secretion by bacterial strains of the previously described exotoxins P1, GCAT and AsaP1 and also the extracellular P2 metallo-gelatinase and a serine caseinase, which is different from the P1 protease and has not yet been characterized. Based on the results, the strains were divided into five groups. One comprised the type strains for A. salmonicida ssp. masoucida, H. piscium and 36% of the atypical isolates, and another, a type strain for A. salmonicida ssp. smithia together with 14% of the atypical isolates. A second type strain of A. salmonicida ssp. smithia was grouped with 8% of the atypical isolates. The largest group contained the type strains for A. salmonicida ssp. achromogenes and 38% of the atypical isolates. The type strains for A. salmonicida ssp. salmonicida were in the last group with all the four typical strains and 4% of the atypical isolates. The combination of zymogram and serological detection used is recommended as the most reliable method for characterizing A. salmonicida strains according to their exotoxin secretion.     

vapA (A‐layer) typing differentiates Aeromonas salmonicida subspecies and identifies a number of previously undescribed subtypes

Sequence variation in a region of the virulence array protein gene (vapA; A‐layer) was assessed in 333 (‘typical’ and ‘atypical’) isolates of the fish pathogenic bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida. Resulting similarity dendrograms revealed extensive heterogeneity, with nearly all isolates belonging to either of 14 distinct clusters or A‐layer types. All acknowledged A. salmonicida subspecies (except ssp. pectinolytica, from which no vapA sequence could be obtained) were clearly separated, and notably, all isolates phenotypically identified as ssp. salmonicida formed a distinct and exclusive A‐layer type. Additionally, an array of un‐subspeciated atypical strains formed several equally prominent clusters, demonstrating that the concept of typical/atypical A. salmonicida is inappropriate for describing the high degree of diversity evidently occurring outside ssp. salmonicida. Most representatives assessed in this study were clinical isolates of spatiotemporally diverse origins, and were derived from a variety of hosts. We observed that from several fish species or families, isolates predominantly belonged to certain A‐layer types, possibly indicating a need for host‐/A‐layer type‐specific A. salmonicida vaccines. All in all, A‐layer typing shows promise as an inexpensive and rapid means of unambiguously distinguishing clinically relevant A. salmonicida subspecies, as well as presently un‐subspeciated atypical strains.     

Clinical, microbiological and epidemiological findings in recent outbreaks of goldfish ulcer disease due to atypical Aeromonas salmonicida in south-eastern Australia

Abstract. The spread of goldfish ulcer disease (GUD) from Victoria to New South Wales, Australia, and the first isolation of Aeromonas salmonicida from wild goldfish are reported. Cultural, biochemical and protein SDS-PAGE characteristics of these recent isolates are compared with those of existing Australian isolates, with strains recovered from goldfish in Italy and the USA (atypical strains) and with strain ATCC 14174 (typical strain). The Australian isolates were identical and closely resembled the exotic atypical strains. Although there were several biochemical differences between the atypical isolates and the typical ATCC 14174 strain, the results of SDS-PAGE confirmed that these strains were closely related. The homology of the Australian and overseas strains recovered from goldfish supports the common view that A. salmonicida was introduced first into Australia with diseased goldfish in 1974. The three widely separated outbreaks of GUD reported here confirm that an atypical strain of A. salmonicida is now endemic in Australia.     

Utilization of haem compounds by Aeromonas salmonicida

Abstract. The ability of A-layer-positi ve (A⁺) and A-layer-negative (A⁻) strains of Aeromonas salmonicida to utilize haem sources of iron under conditions of iron-restriction was evaluated. In a plate bioassay, only A⁺ strains of A. salmonicida were able to utilize haem from a variety of sources including haem, haemin, myoglobin, haemoglobin, haemoglobin- haptoglobin and haem-albumin complexes. Trypsin-digestion of whole cells abolished haem- binding, indicating that binding was cell-surface associated, involving a protein binding site or receptor. Competitive binding studies indicated that all haem compounds were bound by a common receptor, which was not iron-regulated and was associated with the presence of the 49-kDa A-layer protein. The ability of both typical A⁺ (siderophore-positive) and atypical A⁺ (siderophore-negative) strains to utilize haem indicated that the mechanism of haem utilization was not siderophore-mediated and that A. salmonicida possesses both siderophore-dependent and siderophore-independent mechanisms to overcome iron-restricted conditions encountered in vivo.     

Presence of a lethal protease in the extracellular products of Vibrio splendidus-Vibrio lentus related strains

The presence of a lethal extracellular 39-kDa protease, a virulence determinant of a Listonella pelagia strain which produces vibriosis in turbot, was determined in the extracellular products (ECP) of 33 Vibrionaceae strains. Both immunological and enzymatic techniques distinguished this specific protease from other Vibrionaceae proteins. It was detected in 15% (5/33) of the ECPs assayed belonging to strains of the Vibrio splendidus-V. lentus related group isolated in Galician aquaculture systems (NW Spain). As these strains were associated with diseased octopus and cultured turbot, were able to colonize the internal organs of fish and produced a lethal ECP for fish, they are a potential risk for the health of reared aquatic organisms.     

Transmission of protease genes into a protease-deficient mutant of Aeromonas salmonicida in river sediments

Abstract. The transformation of Aeromonas salmonicida with DNA fragments from bacterial cell-free sonicates was investigated with intraspecific, interspecific band intergeneric fish pathogenic bacteria including Aeromonas salmonicida, Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseiidomonas fluorescens and Vibrio anguillarum strains as donor bacteria. A phenotypic marker for transformation was extracellular protease production since a protease-deficient mutant NTG-1 induced from pathogenic A. salmonicida strain A-7301 by mutagenesis was used as a recipient. This mutant was non-pathogenic to rainbow trout. The mutant was incubated with each sonicate at 20°C for 20 days with a nutrient-poor medium containing a trace (5 μg/ml each) of both humic acid and tryptone in the presence of clean river sand (100 g/100 ml medium) corresponding with an environment of rivers. During the incubation, the survival of mutant NTG-1 cells was observed and protease positive NTG-1 cells were isolated from each culture. The protease production of the isolates was due to the transmission of protease genes of the donor strains. The activity of proteases produced by the transformants extra-cellularly was determined. These transformants induced with the sonicates of the parent strain, intraspecific strain and with the sonicates of the interspecific A. hydrophila strain were pathogenic to rainbow trout, whereas the transformants derived with the sonicates of the intergeneric strains P. fluorescens and V. anguiUarum showed non-pathogenicity, although all the donor strains, with the exception of the P. fluorescens strain, were pathogenic. These findings are interesting since they demonstrate that trausformation in A. salmonicida occurs with considerable ease even intergenencally and interspecifically, as well as intraspecifically in river environments, and that there is a large difference in the lethal toxicity of extracellular protease produced by these bacteria.     

紫外诱变选育高活性蛋白酶枯草芽孢杆菌及其降解饲料能力评价

以凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)养殖池塘底泥中分离的枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)BC2为出发菌株,利用紫外诱变的方法培育蛋白酶活性高的枯草芽孢杆菌菌株,并评价其降解饲料的能力。结果表明:(1)经6次紫外诱变,突变菌株B38的透明圈直径(H)与菌落直径(C)之比(H/C值)达到6.42,提高了2.13倍;(2)福林酚法测得B38的蛋白酶活性为86.82 U/m L,是出发菌株BC2的3.14倍,但紫外诱变对B38纤维素酶活性影响不显著;(3)连续传代培养10代后发现B38产蛋白酶和纤维素酶能力保持稳定,证明诱变菌株具有较好的遗传稳定性;(4)利用凯氏定氮法评价B38降解饲料蛋白的能力,发现与BC2相比,B38降解饲料中可溶性蛋白的能力提高了2.57倍,而降解不溶性蛋白的能力变化不大。本研究诱变选育的枯草芽孢杆菌B38为开发优良的水产微生态制剂产品提供了重要的前提和基础。     

Evaluation of profiles of Aeromonas salmonicida as epidemiological markers of furunculosis infections in fish

Abstract. Strains of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida , the agent of furunculosis disease of salmonid fish, have fairly uniform plasmid patterns. Of 35 strains examined by agarose gel electrophoresis, 28 had a pattern consisting of four small plasmids (4.2, 3.6, 3.5, 3.3 Mda) and a larger plasmid. The larger plasmid was most often 50–56 Mda, but it was larger in some strains. In the remaining seven strains, the same general profile was seen, but one of the small plasmids was missing. An additional plasmid was present in six strains. The pattern seen in 30 strains collected from Ontario fish over an 8-year period did not differ significantly from five reference isolates from other locations. Plasmid profiles of A. salmonicida strains appear too uniform to provide a useful epidemiological tool. The non-pigmented. atypical strains of A. salmonicida subsp. achromogenes and A. salmonicida subsp. masoucida, A. media , and brown-pigmented strains of A. hydrophila had different plasmid DNA profiles, which were distinct from those of typical isolates of A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida . Antibiotic susceptibility patterns, determined by the agar dilution method, were uniform for most typical strains. A non-transferable resistance to tetracyclmes was found in two Ontario isolates, but antibiotic resistance was relatively uncommon among the Ontario isolates.     

Cloning, characterization, and insertional inactivation of a major extracellular serine protease gene with elastolytic activity from Aeromonas hydrophila

The gene ahpA from Aeromonas hydrophila AG2 encoding an extracellular serine protease, named AhpA, was cloned in pUC18 plasmid. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 1875 bp encoding a 625 amino-acid protein with a molecular weight of 67 567 Da. The gene ahpA was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli C600 and in the non-proteolytic A. salmonicida masoucida , which was able to overproduce the 64-kDa protease found in the culture supernatant. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein revealed a perfect match with the deduced DNA sequence starting at AAT (Asn-25), indicating that AhpA is synthesized as a pre-enzyme with a 24-amino-acid signal peptide and a 601-amino-acid mature extracellular protease. Purified protease had an optimum pH of 7.5 and its activity was strongly inhibited by PMSF, a serine protease inhibitor. The protease hydrolysed casein and elastin. The amino acid sequence of AhpA was highly homologous to A. salmonicida serine protease AspA. Inoculation of A. hydrophila ahpA mutant into trout suggests that the major AhpA secreted protease is not essential for virulence.     

Proteases of the Aeromonas hydrophila complex: identification, characterization and relation to virulence in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)

Abstract. Traditional biochemieal techniques and a stain to detect proteases in polyacrylamide gels were used to identify and partially characterize three proteases, P1, P2 and P3, produced by Aeromonas hydrophila strain Ah 22. P1 was found to be a heat-labile serine protease with an optimum pH of 7·5, while P2 is a heat-stable metalloprotease with an optimum pH of 8·0, and P3 is a moderately heat-stable metalloprotease with peak activity beween pH 7 and 11. A comparison of 17 other strains of the A. hydrophila complex indicated that four produced P1, P2 and P3. Two strains produced just P1 and P3; one produced only P3; six produced two different serine proteases, P2a and P2b; and two produced a number of uncharacterized proteases. Virulence studies in age-0 + channel catfish indicated no correlation between either quantitative or qualitative protease production and virulence.     

Concomitant production of lipase, protease and enterocin by Enterococcus faecium NCIM5363 and Enterococcus durans NCIM5427 isolated from fish processing waste

Enterococci are widely distributed in the environment ranging from foods to humans and are gaining industrial importance due to their technological traits. In the present study, enterococci (Enterococcus faecium NCIM5363 (EF-63) and Enterococcus durans NCIM5427 (ED-27)) which are native to fish processing waste with an ability to produce lipase, protease and enterocin concomitantly were characterised. Lipase assay was performed by titrimetry and protease activity and was estimated using haemoglobin and casein as substrates in the presence of buffers at acidic, basic and neutral pH. Furthermore, enterocin produced by the isolates was characterised. Enterocin was also checked for its stability at different pH, temperature and proteolytic enzymes. Lipase production was found to be 22 and 10 U/ml in the absence of tributryin and increased to 40 and 24 U/ml in its presence for EF-63 and ED-27, respectively, indicating that the lipase produced is substrate dependent. Protease production was confirmed by protease assay, and the protease produced showed more affinity towards the acidic substrate. Enterocin produced was stable at low pH (2 to 3) and high temperature (121°C, 15 min) and had a molecular weight of approximately 6 kDa. It exhibited antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative food-borne pathogens. Proteinase K inactivated enterocin completely, whereas trypsin did not. Novelty of this work lies in the immense industrial importance these cultures hold as they are capable of producing lipase, protease and enterocin apart from being useful in recovering proteins and lipids from fish processing wastes.     

Genomic and phenotypic characterization of an atypical Aeromonas salmonicida strain isolated from a lumpfish and producing unusual granular structures

Aeromonas salmonicida strains are roughly classified into two categories, typical and atypical strains. The latter mainly regroup isolates that present unusual phenotypes or hosts, comparatively to the typical strains that belong to the salmonicida subspecies. This study focuses on an uncharacterized atypical strain, M18076‐11, isolated from lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) and not part of the four recognized Aeromonas salmonicida subspecies. This isolate presents an unreported phenotype in the A. salmonicida species: the formation of large granular aggregates. Granules are formed of a heterogeneous mix of live and dead cells, with live cells composing the majority of the population. Even if no mechanism was determined to cause cellular aggregation, small globular structures at the cell surface were observed, which might affect granular formation. Pan‐genome phylogenetic analysis indicated that this strain groups alongside the masoucida subspecies. However, phenotypic tests showed that these strains have diverging phenotypes, suggesting that M18076‐11 might belong to a new subspecies. Also, a pAsal1‐like plasmid, which was only reported in strains of the subspecies salmonicida, was discovered in M18076‐11. This study sheds light on unsuspected diversity in A. salmonicida subspecies and stresses the need of thorough identification when a new strain is encountered, as unique traits might be discovered.     

The specificity of the major (70 kDa) protease secreted by Aeromonas salmonicida

Abstract. The specificity of the major protease secreted by Aeromonas salmonicida has been explored using a number of proteins and p-nitroanilides as substrates. The 70kDa protease was found to hydrolyse two p-nitroanilides which have been reported to be specific substrates for thrombin. Kinetic parameters (k_cat, and K_m) were compared for the 70kDa protease and for thrombin as were the effects of a number of inhibitors. The 70kDa protease is able to degrade proteins which have a relatively open structure, for example, caseins or denatured bovine scrum albumin, to small fragments mostly of M_r<2500. However, proteins with a more compact structure are more resistant to the protease. It was concluded that the 70kDa protease shows some of the specificity features of thrombin, although it is less discriminating in its choice of both low and high M_r substrates than thrombin. In preliminary experiments, the 70 kDa protease was found, like thrombin, to decrease the clotting time of rainbow trout blood. The possible physiological significance of these results is discussed.     

In vitro secretion of metallo-protease (200 kDa) by the pathogenic piscine haemoflagellate,Cryptobia salmositica Katz,and stimulation of protease production by collagen

Cryptobia salmositica cultured in minimum essential medium secreted metallo-protease, and a significantly higher amount of the protease was found in media supplemented with either type I or type IV collagen. The enhancement of the protease secretion by type I collagen was dose-dependent. Using haemoglobin (substrate) SDS-PAGE, the secreted protease was detected as a single clear band (about 200 kDa). The 200 kDa metallo-protease was also detected on the C. salmositica surface membrane and the amount was increased by incubating the parasite with collagen. Collagen as a specific substrate may enhance the role of the C. salmositica metallo-protease in the disease process in infected fish.     

近江牡蛎肠道厌氧菌及其产酶能力的研究

为了解近江牡蛎肠道厌氧菌在食饵消化过程中的作用，为微生态饲用添加剂的开发研究打下基础，从近江牡蛎肠道中分离出8株厌氧菌，其中有5株为革兰氏阳性菌。并研究了它们蛋白酶、脂肪酶、淀粉酶、纤维素酶的产酶能力，结果表明仅有3株菌具有产酶能力：2株菌能分泌脂肪酶，1株菌能分泌蛋白酶。由此可见．厌氧菌在分泌消化酶、消化食饵中所起的作用不大。     

野生与养殖银鲳消化道菌群结构中产酶菌的对比分析

实验对野生和养殖银鲳胃、幽门盲囊、前肠、中肠、后肠菌群结构进行了定性对比分析,并对产蛋白酶、淀粉酶、脂肪酶、纤维素酶的菌株进行了鉴定。结果发现,野生和养殖种群的消化道菌群结构存在较大差异,且同一种群消化道各部分之间菌群结构也存在较大差异。尽管养殖和野生银鲳均在幽门盲囊中具有最多的可培养细菌菌株,但野生银鲳消化道内主要菌群为嗜冷菌属(Psychrobacter)和Pseudochrobactrum,养殖银鲳消化道主要菌群为不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)和假单孢菌属(Pseudomonas),两种群共有细菌仅一株,即Psychrobacter piscatorii strain VSD503,但其分别存在于野生与养殖种群银鲳消化道的不同部位。在产酶菌株筛选中发现,野生银鲳消化道内分离到16株产酶菌,其中44%可培养菌能产蛋白酶,56%能产淀粉酶,11%能产脂肪酶,56%能产纤维素酶,部分菌株可产2株以上的消化酶,其中产3种以上酶的菌株有5株,且产酶量丰富。相对于野生银鲳,养殖银鲳消化道内分离到22株产酶菌,主要以产蛋白酶和淀粉酶为主,70%可培养菌可产蛋白酶,21%可产淀粉酶,仅Bacillus thuringiensis strain VITGS可产纤维素酶,无一株菌产脂肪酶,其中只有Bacillus thuringiensis strain VITGS产3种酶但产酶量相对较少。研究可为银鲳人工养殖中潜在益生菌的筛选提供理论依据。     

The in vitro efficacy of oxytetracycline against re‐isolated pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila carrying the cytolytic enterotoxin gene through hybrid catfish,Clarias macrocephalus (Günther, 1864) × Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) in Thailand

Aeromonas hydrophila is a pathogen infecting farmed hybrid catfish, Clarias macrocephalus (Günther, 1864) × Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) which incurs substantial economic losses in Thailand. The study aimed at a genetic tracking of A. hydrophila infection and the in vitro assessment of the efficacy of antibiotics against its virulent strains. Five clinical strains from catfishes and Nile tilapia were employed. They were 3‐passage re‐isolated through healthy hybrid catfish and the cytolytic enterotoxin gene (AHCYTOEN) of individuals was traced. Each of the re‐isolates at a dose of ~6.67 × 10⁵ CFU/g was intraperitoneally injected into ~15 g‐healthy hybrid catfish and their pathogenicity were observed for 7 days. It was found that AHCYTOEN was carried over whereas typical signs of motile aeromonas septicaemia were found in the specimens. The bacterial strains of Nile tilapia origin did not induce mortality but those of catfish origins (80%–100% rate of mortality). The strains were susceptible to the tetracycline antibiotics, and oxytetracycline produced MIC₅₀ and MBC as low as 0.007–0.031 μg/ml and 1–8 μg/ml respectively. As oxytetracycline specifically inhibited pathogenic A. hydrophila in vitro, it is recommended that an appropriate dosage regimen of the drug should be established.     

Identification of marine algicidal Flavobacterium sp. 5 N-3 using multiple probes and whole-cell hybridization

ABSTRACT: We designed five 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes (Sp probes) specific for Flavobacterium sp. 5 N-3, which inhibits the growth of red tide phytoplankton Gymnodinium mikimotoi (Dinophyceae). These probes were evaluated by whole-cell hybridization against 5 N-3 cells incubated under laboratory conditions. The fluorescence signal from the cell detected with Sp probe mix5, a mixture of the five probes, was 8.4-fold higher than that obtained with only one Sp probe (Sp01RF). The signal obtained by this method was strong enough to recognize 5 N-3 cells and count them under the epifluorescence microscope, while the signal was often undetectable when a single probe was used. Fluorescence intensities of cells at stationary phases and of 'starved' cells in sterile seawater using Sp probe mix5 were low but still sufficient for enumeration. These Sp probes did not hybridize with 11 strains from the Cytophaga/Flavobacteria/Bacteroides phylum and did react with strain 5 N-3 following whole-cell hybridization. These results show that 5 N-3 cells cultivated under our laboratory conditions can be detected by whole-cell hybridization with the five designed probes. These data also suggest that this technique may be useful for detection of an algicidal bacterium 5 N-3 in the natural environment.