LAUSR

ABSTRACT Riemerella anatipestifer is a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae and a major causative agent of duck serositis. Little is known about its genetics and pathogenesis. Several bacteria are competent for natural transformation; however, whether R. anatipestifer is also competent for natural transformation has not been investigated. Here, we showed that R. anatipestifer strain ATCC 11845 can uptake the chromosomal DNA of R. anatipestifer strain RA-CH-1 in all growth phases. Subsequently, a natural transformation-based knockout method was established for R. anatipestifer ATCC 11845. Targeted mutagenesis gave transformation frequencies of ∼10−5 transformants. Competition assay experiments showed that R. anatipestifer ATCC 11845 preferentially took up its own DNA rather than heterogeneous DNA, such as Escherichia coli DNA. Transformation was less efficient with the shuttle plasmid pLMF03 (transformation frequencies of ∼10−9 transformants). However, the efficiency of transformation was increased approximately 100-fold using pLMF03 derivatives containing R. anatipestifer DNA fragments (transformation frequencies of ∼10−7 transformants). Finally, we found that the R. anatipestifer RA-CH-1 strain was also naturally transformable, suggesting that natural competence is widely applicable for this species. The findings described here provide important tools for the genetic manipulation of R. anatipestifer. IMPORTANCE Riemerella anatipestifer is an important duck pathogen that belongs to the family Flavobacteriaceae. At least 21 different serotypes have been identified. Genetic diversity has been demonstrated among these serotypes. The genetic and pathogenic mechanisms of R. anatipestifer remain largely unknown because no genetic tools are available for this bacterium. At present, natural transformation has been found in some bacteria but not in R. anatipestifer. For the first time, we showed that natural transformation occurred in R. anatipestifer ATCC 11845 and R. anatipestifer RA-CH-1. Then, we established an easy gene knockout method in R. anatipestifer based on natural transformation. This information is important for further studies of the genetic diversity and pathogenesis in R. anatipestifer.