Survival of Wolbachia pipientis in Cell-Free Medium

Wolbachia pipientis is an obligate intracellular bacterium found in a wide range of invertebrate taxa. While over ecological timescales Wolbachia infections are maintained by strict maternal inheritance, horizontal transfer events are common over evolutionary time. To be horizontally transferred bet...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2006-11, Vol.72 (11), p.6934-6937
Main Authors: Rasgon, Jason L, Gamston, Courtney E, Ren, Xiaoxia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aedes - cytology
Aedes - microbiology
Animals
Bacteria
Bacteriological Techniques
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Line
Cells
Culture Media
DNA, Bacterial
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Host-Parasite Interactions
In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
Invertebrate Microbiology
Microbiology
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Wolbachia
Wolbachia - genetics
Wolbachia - growth & development
Wolbachia pipientis
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Summary:Wolbachia pipientis is an obligate intracellular bacterium found in a wide range of invertebrate taxa. While over ecological timescales Wolbachia infections are maintained by strict maternal inheritance, horizontal transfer events are common over evolutionary time. To be horizontally transferred between organisms, Wolbachia bacteria must pass through and survive an extracellular phase. We used BacLight live-dead staining, PCR, and fluorescence in situ hybridization to assess the ability for purified Wolbachia bacteria to survive in cell-free media. We found that purified Wolbachia bacteria were able to survive extracellularly for up to 1 week with no decrease in viability. While no replication was observed in the extracellular phase, purified Wolbachia bacteria were able to reinvade cells and establish stable infections at all time points. The ability of Wolbachia bacteria to survive outside host cells may increase the probability of successful horizontal transfer and the exploitation of new ecological niches. Our development of methods to purify and maintain viable Wolbachia bacteria from cultured cells will be useful for other researchers studying Wolbachia biology.
ISSN:0099-2240
1098-5336
DOI:10.1128/AEM.01673-06