Crosa J H
Nature. 1980 Apr 10;284(5756):566-8. doi: 10.1038/284566a0.
Many of the high-virulence strains of the marine fish pathogen Vibrio anguillarum isolated from epizootics of the widespread fish disease vibriosis, harbour a specific plamid class which is absent from low-virulence strains. Curing experiments have confirmed a link between this specific plasmic class and the ability of V. anguillarum to establish infections. In general, all bacterial virulence factors promote growth in the antagonistic environment of the host defence mechanisms. One line of defence is provided by the proteins transferrin and lactoferrin, which bind iron, rendering it unavailable to pathogens. A mechanism whereby invading bacteria may successfully compete for the otherwise unavailable iron could therefore become crucial in enabling them to proliferate in body fluids and tissues. I report here evidence which shows that the V. anguillarum virulence plasmid specifies a very efficient iron-sequestering system enabling bacteria to survive in conditions of limited iron availability.
从广泛传播的鱼类疾病弧菌病的流行病中分离出的许多海洋鱼类病原体鳗弧菌的高毒力菌株，都携带一种特定的质粒类型，而低毒力菌株中则不存在这种质粒。消除实验证实了这种特定质粒类型与鳗弧菌建立感染的能力之间的联系。一般来说，所有细菌毒力因子都能促进在宿主防御机制的对抗环境中的生长。宿主的一种防御机制是由转铁蛋白和乳铁蛋白提供的，它们结合铁，使病原体无法获得铁。因此，入侵细菌成功竞争原本无法获得的铁的机制，对于使它们能够在体液和组织中增殖可能至关重要。我在此报告的证据表明，鳗弧菌毒力质粒指定了一种非常有效的铁螯合系统，使细菌能够在铁供应有限的条件下存活。
