| Moraxella osloensis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Proteobacteria |
| Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Pseudomonadales |
| Family: | Moraxellaceae |
| Genus: | Moraxella |
| Species: | M. osloensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Moraxella osloensis |
|
Moraxella osloensis is a species of Gram-negative oxidase positive, aerobic bacteria within the family Moraxellaceae in the gamma subdivision of the purple bacteria.[1]
The bacterium Moraxella osloensis is a mutualistic symbiont of the slug-parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita.[1] In nature, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita vectors Moraxella osloensis into the shell cavity of the slug host in which the bacteria multiply and kill the slug.[1]
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This bacterium has been identified as one of the natural symbionts of a bacteria-feeding nematode, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae), which is an endoparasite of slugs, including the slug Deroceras reticulatum[1] (grey garden slug) which is one of the most serious agricultural and garden slug pests.[2]
In nature, bacteria colonize the gut of nematode infective juveniles which represent a specialized stage of development adapted for survival in the unfavorable environment.[1] The infective juveniles seek out and enter the slug's shell cavity through the posterior mantle region.[1] Once inside the shell cavity, the bacteria are released, and the infective juveniles resume growth, feeding on the multiplying bacteria.[1] The infected slugs die in 4–10 days, and the nematodes colonize the entire cadaver and produce next generation infective juveniles which leave the cadaver to seek a new host.[1] It is the bacteria which are responsible for killing the slugs; nematodes without bacteria do not cause death.[2]
The lipopolysaccharide, that is an endotoxin, from Moraxella osloensis is a molluscicide for Deroceras reticulatum when applied by injection.[3]
The lethality of these nematodes to slugs has been shown to correlate with the number of Moraxella osloensis cells carried by infective juveniles.[1] Tan and Grewal (2001)[4] demonstrated that the 72 h old Moraxella osloensis cultures inoculated into the shell cavity were highly pathogenic to the slug.[1] They further reported that Moraxella osloensis produced an endotoxin which was identified to be a rough type lipopolysaccharide with a molecular weight of 5300 KD, and the purified Moraxella osloensislipopolysaccharide was toxic to the slug with an estimated 50% lethal dose of 48 μg when injected into the shell cavity.[1]
Although M. osloensis rarely infects humans, it can sometimes be found in a variety of tissues, where it sometimes causes disease.[5][6] Antibiotics are usually effective against such infections.[6]
The species M. osloensis was proposed in 1967; the bacteria which are now considered to be M. osloensis would previously have been considered to be Moraxella nonliquefaciens or Mima polymorpha (var.) oxidans.[6]
This article incorporates CC-BY-2.0 text from the reference [1].