Nematodes as bacterial, viral and potential nanotechnology delivery systems

In our studies we have used three different free-living nematodes: Rhabditis, Caenorhabditis elegans and Turbatrix aceti. Rhabditis, a microscopic nematode, has been reported worldwide in most soils and a wide variety of environments (air, water and land). It has been isolated in or on many invertebrates and higher forms of life i.e. earthworms, insects, plants, birds and other animals including man. Experiments were designed and showed that this worm could survive and was very resistant to chlorine bleach treatment with no ill effect. This allowed us to control bacterial and viral activity on the surface of the nematode. Further, we demonstrated that the organism gathered, concentrated, protected, hid and only digested about 70% of the bacteria it consumed, defecating 30% viable. We determined that the worm, on average could carry 1.6times10⁶ bacteria. By feeding alternate identifiable strains of bacteria we were able to demonstrate internal bacterial conjugation, resulting in DNA transfer, transconjugants. The same studies done with C. elegans showed very similar results as those for Rhabditis. Here we demonstrated that the nematode could vector active virus (PhiX-174, 20nm). We were also able to purge the nematode of bacteria by adding the virus to the culture. Work with T. aceti using bent glass capillary tubes connected to wells in phenol red dextrose agar (PRDA) petri plates showed statistically significant pH preferential migratory behavior. The small size of the nematodes, their ability to vector bacteria, virus and to dismember bio-films suggests possible usefulness as nanotechnology delivery systems