SGER: Characterization of the Microbial Community of Hirudo Medicinalis

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

A Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) has been awarded to Dr. Joerg Graf of the University of Connecticut to characterize the microbial community of Hirudo medicinalis, the medicinal leech. Cultivation studies have often vastly underestimated the diversity of microorganisms in nature. Previous attempts to cultivate microbes have provided contrasting views on the diversity of bacteria in the leech gut. In this study, Dr. Graf proposes to characterize the microbial community of the medicinal leech in a culture-independent approach. The 16S rRNA genes will be cloned and sequenced to identify the members of the microbial community in different regions of the digestive tract. The sequence information will be used to develop terminal restriction fragment analysis (T-RFLP) that allows the rapid monitoring of the microbial population in animals from different geographic regions and at different times after feeding. The microorganisms that reside in the digestive tract of animals perform critical functions for the well being of the host. These functions include the digestion of the ingested food, supply of essential nutrients and vitamins, metabolism of carcinogens, and interference with the colonization of the digestive tract by pathogens. This research is likely to result in the discovery of new microbial taxa. The potential complexity of this community hinders our understanding of the population dynamics inside the digestive tract. Monitoring the microbial population over time after feeding will provide important information about the population dynamics and microbial interactions of the symbiotic community in the digestive tract.