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Isolation of Lactococcus garvieae Strain TRF1 from the Fecal Material of a Timber Rattlesnake

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Abstract

In certain species of fish, such as rainbow trout, infection by the Firmicutes Lactococcus garvieae is problematic. This organism is the causative agent of lactococcosis disease in fish, and it is also considered a potential zoonotic bacterium, since it can cause several opportunistic infections in humans. In this study, L. garvieae strain TRF1 was grown and isolated in pure culture from the fecal material of a Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), living in the wild. The presence/absence of several putative virulence factors was identified using staining, PCR amplification, and the construction of a draft genome. Strain TRF1 shared several putative virulence factors with strain Lg2, a known fish pathogen. However, the capsule gene cluster, found in strain Lg2, was not found in strain TRF1. Since this gene cluster is absent in several non-pathogenic strains of L. garvieae, it suggests strain TRF1 may not be pathogenic. However, this hypothesis will have to be tested in an animal model.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Bryan Albrecht, Zina Haywood, Stephanie Sklba, Bernard O’Connell, Donald Zakutansky, and Jennifer Charpentier for their enthusiastic support of this research. This project was supported by funding provided by Gateway Technical College. Access to the Timber Rattlesnake specimen was authorized through a permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to PAC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. General Studies, Gateway Technical College, Kenosha, WI, 53144, USA

    Richard William McLaughlin

  2. Biology Department, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Winona, MN, 55987-1399, USA

    Richard William McLaughlin & Philip A. Cochran

  3. MR DNA (Molecular Research LP), Shallowater, TX, USA

    Scot E. Dowd

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  1. Richard William McLaughlin
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  2. Philip A. Cochran
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Correspondence to Richard William McLaughlin.

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McLaughlin, R.W., Cochran, P.A. & Dowd, S.E. Isolation of Lactococcus garvieae Strain TRF1 from the Fecal Material of a Timber Rattlesnake. Curr Microbiol 69, 63–68 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-014-0554-3

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