Turbatrix aceti

Vinegar eels
Illustration of vinegar eels
Illustration of vinegar eels
Scientific classification Edit this 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
  • Anguillula aceti

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.[1]

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.[2]

Vinegar eels are often given to fry (baby fish) as a live food, like microworms.[1][3] 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).[4] 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.[5][6]

Aging in T. aceti is associated with a decline in the ability to repair DNA damage,[7][8] a finding that is consistent with the theory that DNA damage contributes to aging.[9]

  1. ^ a b "The Chesapeake Area Killifish Club: Vinegar Eels". www.chesapeakekillifish.org. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  2. ^ Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Irwin, Louis Neal (2008-10-02). Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 57. ISBN 9783540768166.
  3. ^ "Vinegar Eels". 2012-02-22. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  4. ^ "FDA: Sec. 525.825 Vinegar, Definitions - Adulteration with Vinegar Eels (CPG 7109.22)". fda.gov. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ 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