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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 1999, p. 2540-2546, Vol. 65, No. 6
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Generation of a Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)-Deficient Mutant of Campylobacter coli: Evidence for the Significance of SOD in Campylobacter Survival and Colonization

Desmond Purdy,1 Sean Cawthraw,2 Joanne H. Dickinson,3 Diane G. Newell,2 and Simon F. Park4,*

School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH,4 Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone KT15 3NB,2 Centre for Applied Microbiology Research, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG,1 and University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough LE12 5RD,3 United Kingdom

Received 8 December 1998/Accepted 10 March 1999

The microaerophilic nature of Campylobacter species implies an inherent sensitivity towards oxygen and its reduction products, particularly the superoxide anion. The deleterious effects of exposure to superoxide radicals are counteracted by the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). We have shown previously that Campylobacter coli possesses an iron cofactored SOD. The sodB gene of C. coli UA585 was insertionally inactivated by the site-specific insertion of a tetO cassette. Organisms harboring the inactivated gene failed to produce a biologically functional form of the enzyme. While the ability of this mutant to grow in aerobic conditions was unchanged relative to the parental strain, its survival was severely compromised when nongrowing cells were exposed to air. Accordingly, the SOD-deficient mutant was unable to survive for prolonged periods in model foods. Furthermore, inactivation of the sodB gene decreased the colonization potential in an experimental infection of 1-day-old chicks. In contrast, strain CK100, which is deficient in catalase activity, showed the same survival and colonization characteristics as the parental strain. These results indicate that SOD, but not catalase, is an important determinant in the ability of C. coli to survive aerobically and for optimal colonization within the chicken gut.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0) 1483-259024. Fax: 44 (0) 1483-300374. E-mail: s.park{at}surrey.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 1999, p. 2540-2546, Vol. 65, No. 6
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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