The Behaviour ofFusobacterium nucleatumChemostat-grown in Glucose- and Amino Acid-based Chemically Defined Media

Fusobacterium nucleatumis a Gram-negative anaerobe, found in a number of different areas of human and animal bodies as part of the resident microbiota. However, it also appears to be involved in polymicrobial infections in such sites. It occurs in the oral cavity where it is a prominent member of va...

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Veröffentlicht in:Anaerobe 1998-04, Vol.4 (2), p.111-116
Hauptverfasser: Rogers, A.H, Chen, J, Zilm, P.S, Gully, N.J
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Fusobacterium nucleatumis a Gram-negative anaerobe, found in a number of different areas of human and animal bodies as part of the resident microbiota. However, it also appears to be involved in polymicrobial infections in such sites. It occurs in the oral cavity where it is a prominent member of various bacterial consortia associated with periodontal diseases. Like most fusobacteria, it derives energy via the fermentation of amino acids which it can obtain through the dissimilation of small peptides. However, the role of simple carbohydrates, such as glucose, in its growth and metabolism are not well understood. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to study the behaviour ofF. nucleatumgrown anaerobically in continuous culture in two different chemically-defined media (CDM); one containing only amino acids as the energy source, the other containing glucose as the predominant energy provider. At various dilution rates the culture were assayed for dry weight, intracellular polyglucose (IP) content, residual amino acids and glucose and acidic metabolic end-products. In the carbohydrate-free CDM the acidic end-products were a constant acetate : butyrate : formate of 1.5 : 1 : 0.4. The values of Ymaxamino acids, maximum yield of bacteria per mol of amino acids consumed, for two strains were estimated to be 15.2 and 18.6 g dry wt/mol, respectively. Themamino acids, maintenance energy requirement for growth on amino acids, for the two strains was 0.81 and 0.94 mmol/g dry wt/h, respectively. Growth of one strain in the glucose-based CDM gave an estimated Ymaxglucoseof 67.2 and anmglucoseof 0.38; the acidic end-products were a fairly constant acetate : butyrate : formate : lactate of 0.7 : 1 : 0.3 : 2.5. Only at low growth rates, and then only in small amount, was IP produced in this medium. Overall, it was concluded that the occurrence ofF. nucleatumin widely-differing oral niches may be explained, at least in part, by its metabolic versatility.
ISSN:1075-9964
1095-8274
DOI:10.1006/anae.1997.0140