Vinegar eels | |
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Illustration of vinegar eels | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Nematoda |
Class: | Secernentea |
Order: | Tylenchida |
Family: | Panagrolaimidae |
Genus: | Turbatrix |
Species: | T. aceti |
Binomial name | |
Turbatrix aceti (Müller, 1783) | |
Synonyms | |
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Turbatrix aceti (vinegar eels, vinegar nematode, Anguillula aceti) are free-living nematodes that feed on a microbial culture called mother of vinegar (used to create vinegar) and may be found in unfiltered vinegar. They were discovered by Pierre Borel in 1656.
Their environment makes them exceptionally tolerant of variation in acidity and alkalinity and they may be able to tolerate a wider range than any other species, being able to survive from pH 1.6 to 11.
Vinegar eels are often given to fry (baby fish) as a live food, like microworms. Although they are harmless and non-parasitic, leaving eels in vinegar is considered objectionable (for example, in the United States they are not permitted in vinegar destined for American consumers). Manufacturers normally filter and pasteurize their product prior to bottling, destroying the live bacterial and yeast culture that these nematodes require for sustenance.
At high concentration near a boundary, vinegar eels synchronize their undulations, forming a collective wave.
Aging in T. aceti is associated with a decline in the ability to repair DNA damage, a finding that is consistent with the theory that DNA damage contributes to aging.
References
- ^ "The Chesapeake Area Killifish Club: Vinegar Eels". www.chesapeakekillifish.org. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Irwin, Louis Neal (2008-10-02). Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 57. ISBN 9783540768166.
- "Vinegar Eels". 2012-02-22. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- "FDA: Sec. 525.825 Vinegar, Definitions - Adulteration with Vinegar Eels (CPG 7109.22)". fda.gov. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- Peshkov, Anton; McGaffigan, Sonia; Quillen, Alice C. (2022). "Synchronized oscillations in swarms of nematode Turbatrix aceti". Soft Matter. 18 (6): 1174–1182. arXiv:2104.10316. Bibcode:2022SMat...18.1174P. doi:10.1039/D1SM01572A. PMID 35029257. S2CID 235593417.
- Quillen, A. C.; Peshkov, A.; Wright, E.; McGaffigan, S. (2021). "Metachronal waves in concentrations of swimming Turbatrix aceti nematodes and an oscillator chain model for their coordinated motions". Physical Review E. 104 (1): 014412. arXiv:2101.06809. Bibcode:2021PhRvE.104a4412Q. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.104.014412. PMID 34412226. S2CID 231661689.
- Targovnik HS, Locher SE, Hart TF, Hariharan PV. Age-related changes in the excision repair capacity of Turbatrix aceti. Mech Ageing Dev. 1984 Sep;27(1):73-81. doi: 10.1016/0047-6374(84)90083-6. PMID 6492888
- Targovnik HS, Locher SE, Hariharan PV. Age associated alteration in DNA damage and repair capacity in Turbatrix aceti exposed to ionizing radiation. Int J Radiat Biol Relat Stud Phys Chem Med. 1985 Mar;47(3):255-60. doi: 10.1080/09553008514550381. PMID 3872278
- Gensler HL, Bernstein H. DNA damage as the primary cause of aging. Q Rev Biol. 1981 Sep;56(3):279-303. doi: 10.1086/412317. PMID 7031747
Media related to Turbatrix aceti at Wikimedia Commons
Taxon identifiers | |
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Turbatrix aceti |
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