Pili of an Aeromonas hydrophila Strain as a Possible Colonization Factor

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Abstract
Aeromonas hydrophila Ae6 had 2 morphologically distinctive kinds of pili. One appeared rigid and straight with a diameter of 9 nm (R‐pili). The other appeared wavy and flexible with a diameter of 7 nm (W‐pili). W‐pili were very few on the cell as compared with R‐pili. In this study, W‐pili were purified and characterized. The pili consisted of a subunit protein with a molecular weight of 21 kDa as estimated by SDS‐PAGE. There was no immunological cross‐reaction between W‐pili and other cellular components. The strain Ae6 and its purified W‐pili adhered to human and rabbit intestine and agglutinated human and rabbit erythrocytes. Organisms pretreated with the Fab fraction of anti‐pilus antibody failed to adhere to the intestine. Pretreatment of intestine with purified W‐pili blocked adherence of the organisms to the intestine. These results suggest that the W‐pili are the colonization factor of A. hydrophila Ae6.