Exogenous polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) influence permeability, antimicrobial peptide resistance, biofilm formation and membrane phospholipid structure in an A-layer and non-A-layer strain of Aeromonas salmonicida.

Aeromonas salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that can infect a wide host range of fish populations, including salmonids and non-salmonids as well as freshwater and marine life. Some strains of A. salmonicida cause the disease furunculosis, which can cause lethargy, intestinal inflammation, ulcers, haemorrhaging and death. The infection is spread through fish-to-fish contact, and the presence of infection can have devastating effects on cultivated fish populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of non-A-layer and A-layer A. salmonicida strains to incorporate polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into their lipid profile and test the phenotypic effects thereof. Lipids were extracted from PUFA-exposed cultures and analysed for lipid modification by thin-layer chromatography and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, showing A. salmonicida, regardless of A-layer, capable of incorporating all seven of the PUFAs studied. Phenotypic effects were determined through the use of assays that tested for biofilm formation, membrane permeability and cyclic peptide susceptibility. Temperature-dependent effects on biofilm formation were observed, and PUFA exposure showed significant (p < .001) increases in membrane permeability as tested by the uptake of the hydrophobic compounds crystal violet and ethidium bromide. Additionally, some PUFAs elicited modest protection and vulnerability against the membrane-targeting cyclic peptides polymyxin B (PMB) and colistin. The diverse, strain-specific responses to exogenous PUFAs may allude to evolved adaptive strategies that enhance survival, persistence and virulence of non-pathogenic and pathogenic members of bacteria that oscillate between environmental and fish host niches.