Medycyna Wet. 64 (6), 786-790, 2008
full text
| Kowalczyk-Pecka D., Puchalski A.. |
| Potential interaction between the Cepaea nemoralis wild snail and Citrobacter spp. bacteria |
| The aim of this study was to determine the effect of various dietary supplements on the level of selected unsaturated fatty acids, with potential antibacterial properties, in the hepatopancreas of Cepaea nemoralis snails, and to perform a preliminary phenotypic characterization of Citrobacter braakii strains occurring in the intestinal tract of these snails, which are environmental reservoirs for these bacteria. Gas chromatography was used for fatty acid analysis of the snails. Biochemical characteristics of Citrobacter braakii isolates and their resistance profiles for six chemiotherapeutics were determined. Giving Cepaea nemoralis food supplemented with Allium sativum (garlic), Urtica dioica (stinging nettle) and Aloe vera caused an increase in the total unsaturated fatty acids in the hepatopancreas. In the invertebrates studied, the Aloe vera and Allium sativum supplements caused an increase in arachidonic acid, while Utrica dioica increased oleic and linoleic acid content, which probably contributed to the 2-log CFU (colony forming unit) reduction of Citrobacter in the intestine. Wild snails of the genus Cepaea should be taken into consideration in epidemiological investigations as potential vectors for pathogenic strains of Citrobacter spp. |
| Keywords: Cepaea nemoralis, Citrobacter, fatty acids, epidemiological investigations, diet supplements |