Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Semester of Degree Completion
1971
Thesis Director
Hugh C. Rawls
Abstract
The mucus from land snail specimens of Anguispira kochi collected from Coles and Edgar counties, Illinois, emits a blue fluorescence when exposed to ultra-violet light. Pseudomonas, a genus of bacteria which produces fluorescent pigments, has been isolated from the mucus of these snails. The object of the study was to compare the fluorescence of the mucus from individuals of A. kochi with the fluorescence of the pigments produced on a synthetic medium by pseudomonads isolated from the mucus of these snails. An effort was made to establish that Pseudomonas is the causative agent of fluorescence in the mucus of A. kochi by comparing the physical character and the spectrophotometric records of the two substances. The pigment produced by these bacteria and the fluorescent substance in the mucus were identical in regard to dialysis, withstanding high temperatures, and solubility in the 18 solvents used. Differences in fluorescent color were explained experimentally. The absorption curve of the bacterial pigment (maxima at about 265 and 400 nm) was similar to that of the A. kochi mucus (maxima at about 265 and 385 nm). The results from the study indicate that Pseudomonas is the causative agent of the fluorescence in the mucus of A. kochi. It is plausible that the mucus of these snails contains the appropriate nutritional requirements which allow the bacterial to produce diffusible pigments that fluoresce under ultra-violet light.
Recommended Citation
Baum, John Michael, "Pseudomonas as Causative Agents of Fluorescence in Anguispira kochi (Pfeiffer) Mucus" (1971). Masters Theses. 3997.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/3997
