This Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal article analyzes symbiont specificity of the Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri symbiosis. Previous studies have demonstrated that, during colonization, the hatchling host secretes mucus in which gram-negative environmental bacteria amass in dense aggregations outside the sites of infection. In this study, experiments with green fluorescent protein-labeled symbiotic and nonsymbiotic species of gram-negative bacteria were used to characterize the behavior of cells in the aggregates. Results suggest that the specificity of the squid-vibrio symbiosis begins early in the interaction, in the mucus where the symbionts aggregate outside of the light organ. Links to the article in PDF format and cited references are included.
