@article {38429,
	title = {Persistence of adhesive properties in Vibrio cholerae after long-term exposure to sea water},
	journal = {Environmental MicrobiologyEnvironmental Microbiology},
	volume = {5},
	year = {2003},
	type = {10.1046/j.1462-2920.2003.00498.x},
	abstract = {The effect of exposure to artificial sea water (ASW) on the ability of classical Vibrio cholerae O1 cells to interact with chitin-containing substrates and human intestinal cells was studied. Incubation of vibrios in ASW at 5{\textdegree}C and 18{\textdegree}C resulted in two kinds of cell responses: the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state (i.e.~<0.1 colony forming unit ml-1) at 5{\textdegree}C, and starvation (i.e. maintenance of culturability of the population) at 18{\textdegree}C. The latter remained rod shaped and, after 40~days{\textquoteright} incubation, presented a 47{\textendash}58\% reduction in the number of cells attached to chitin, a 48{\textendash}53\% reduction in the number of bacteria adhering to copepods, and a 48{\textendash}54\% reduction in the number of bacteria adhering to human cultured intestinal cells, compared to control cells not suspended in ASW. Bacteria suspended in ASW at 5{\textdegree}C became coccoid and, after 40~days, showed 34{\textendash}42\% fewer cells attached to chitin, 52{\textendash}55\% fewer adhering to copep-ods, and 45{\textendash}48\% fewer cells adhering to intestinal cell monolayers, compared to controls. Sarkosyl-insoluble membrane proteins that bind chitin particles were isolated and analysed by SDS-PAGE. After 40~days incubation in ASW at both 5{\textdegree}C and 18{\textdegree}C vibrios expressed chitin-binding ligands similar to bacteria harvested in the stationary growth phase. It is concluded that as vibrios do not lose adhesive properties after long-term exposure to ASW, it is important to include methods for VBNC bacteria when testing environmental and clinical samples for purposes of public health safety.},
	isbn = {1462-2920},
	author = {Pruzzo, Carla and Tarsi, Renato and Del Mar Lle{\`o}, Maria and Signoretto, Caterina and Zampini, Massimiliano and Pane, Luigi and Rita R. Colwell and Canepari, Pietro}
}
