Abstract
Citrobacter freundii is widely distributed in nature as a typical conditional pathogen. In this study, the pathogenicity and histopathology of crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) infected with C. freundii were investigated, and immune-related gene expression profiling was performed. Challenge experiments confirmed that the isolated LJ1 strain of C. freundii had high virulence, leading to significant deaths of otherwise healthy shrimp. Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatopancreas, intestines, and gills of diseased crayfish exhibited obvious inflammatory responses to C. freundii infection. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was also performed to investigate the expression pattern of twelve immune-related genes in gill, intestine, hepatopancreas, and hemocyte samples. The results showed various expression profiles and clear transcriptional activation of these immune related genes in the tested tissues. These results will contribute to further study of C. freundii infection and help to understand P. clarkii immune function.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
