Effect of temperature and viscosity on the motility of the spirochete Treponema denticola.

Treponema denticola is an oral spirochete associated with periodontal diseases. Because bacterial motility is likely to be a potential virulence factor, we investigated the effect of viscosity and temperature on cell speed. In agreement with the work of others, translational motility was a function of the macroscopic viscosity of the medium. In addition, we found that although the speed of spirochetes was slow at 25 degrees C (4 microns s-1), it increased quite markedly at 35 degrees C (19 microns s-1). The results indicate that both viscosity and temperature are critical factors in T. denticola translational motility.

[1]  R. Ellen,et al.  Filamentous Actin Disruption and Diminished Inositol Phosphate Response in Gingival Fibroblasts Caused byTreponema denticola , 1998, Infection and Immunity.

[2]  Jeff F. Miller,et al.  Roles for motility in bacterial–host interactions , 1997, Molecular microbiology.

[3]  K. Buttle,et al.  Relationship of Treponema denticola periplasmic flagella to irregular cell morphology , 1997, Journal of bacteriology.

[4]  H. Kuramitsu,et al.  Gene inactivation in the oral spirochete Treponema denticola: construction of an flgE mutant , 1996, Journal of bacteriology.

[5]  S. Holt,et al.  The 46-kilodalton-hemolysin gene from Treponema denticola encodes a novel hemolysin homologous to aminotransferases , 1995, Infection and immunity.

[6]  J. Kreiling,et al.  Borrelia burgdorferi swims with a planar waveform similar to that of eukaryotic flagella. , 1994, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[7]  P. Noble,et al.  Viscosity-dependent locomotion of oral spirochetes. , 1993, Oral microbiology and immunology.

[8]  W. Yotis,et al.  Biochemical properties of the outer membrane of Treponema denticola , 1991, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[9]  V. Uitto,et al.  Cellular location of a Treponema denticola chymotrypsinlike protease and importance of the protease in migration through the basement membrane , 1990, Infection and immunity.

[10]  R. Amsel,et al.  Locomotory characteristics of Treponema denticola. , 1988, Canadian Journal of Microbiology (print).

[11]  H. Morton,et al.  Quantitative relationship of Treponema denticola to severity of periodontal disease , 1988, Infection and immunity.

[12]  M. Sela,et al.  Inhibition of superoxide production in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes by oral treponemal factors , 1988, Infection and immunity.

[13]  B. Paster,et al.  Treponema saccharophilum sp. nov., a large pectinolytic spirochete from the bovine rumen , 1985, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[14]  C. Harwood,et al.  Ecology of spirochetes. , 1984, Annual review of microbiology.

[15]  S. Gelskey,et al.  The relationship between gingival tissue temperatures and various indicators of gingival inflammation. , 1981, Journal of periodontology.