[Taylorella equigenitalis: cell wall proteins, gene fingerprints, plasmids, adhesion and toxicity].

The research investigates various characteristics, including cell wall proteins, gene fingerprints, plasmids, adhesion and toxicity, of 55 strains of Taylorella equigenitalis bacterium, isolated from horses in Austria and one strain from Germany. The findings show that while all strains were similar when studied through SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting, DNA analyses differentiated them into five groups, with no connection between adhesion-cytotoxicity-properties and DNA fingerprint groups or studs.

Methods of Investigation

• The research used several methods including Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting, genome analysis, and plasmids proofing. These methods allowed the researchers to investigate the molecular characteristics of the bacterium.
• The study also explored the bacterium’s pathogenic mechanisms, including how it attaches itself to host cells (adhesion) and the formation of toxins. This was conducted in vitro or within a controlled lab environment.

Results

• Results from the SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting showed that all tested strains of Taylorella equigenitalis were alike, indicating their similarity at a protein level.
• However, DNA analyses resulted in the division of the bacteria strains into five distinct groups. The comparative strain from Germany was noticeably different from the Austrian strains, forming its own unique group.
• Despite the intensive exchange of horses among the three related studs, three different DNA fingerprint groups were found among them. Although the three fingerprint patterns were very similar, they were very different from the other two Austrian strains.
• Surprisingly, the strain isolated from a symptomatic mare was identical to that isolated from a clinically healthy stallion within the same study when examined through this method.

Adhesion and Cytotoxicity

• The study found that only 47.3% of the investigated strains showed attachment to HeLa cells, which are a strain of cervical cancer cells widely used in scientific research.
• Cell extracts from all strains caused morphological changes of varying degrees in both Y1 adrenal cells and Vero kidney epithelial cells.
• The adhesion and cytotoxicity properties showed no correlation with the DNA fingerprint groups or the studs.

Plasmids

• No plasmids, small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecules that are separate from chromosomal DNA, were found in the Taylorella equigenitalis strains used in this study. Plasmids can play a significant role in bacterial adaptability and survival by carrying genes that can provide adaptive advantages, such as antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the absence of plasmids could have implications for the bacterium’s adaptability.