Table 1 Morphological and biochemical characteristics of F. columnare (adapted from[1, 3, 10–12])
From: Columnaris disease in fish: a review with emphasis on bacterium-host interactions
Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
Growth condition | Strictly aerobic |
Gram-stain | Gram-negative |
Morphology | Long, slender gliding rods of 4 to 10 μm and 0.3 to 0.5 μm wide. In aging cultures spheroplasts may occur |
Capsule | Described to be absent [10] or present [11] depending on the adopted strain |
Congo red absorption | Present due to an extracellular galactosamine glycan in the mucus and the production of flexirubin-type pigments |
H2S-production | Present |
Degradation of crystalline cellulose | Absent |
Degradation of complex acidic polysaccharides of connective tissue | Present |