California Sea Grant College Program

Previous research on characterization of the microbial community associated with the accessory nidamental gland (ANG) and egg sheath (ES) of the squid relied mostly on molecular techniques (i.e. analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA sequence) with the majority of the symbionts being uncultured. Although these studies and previous work in our lab provided valuable initial descriptions of the ANG microbial community, it was evident that a more extensive attempt at cultivation and molecular characterization of the ANG and ES bacteria was warranted and also necessary for describing any potent bioactivies against fungi or other bacteria.