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dc.contributor.authorD'Alba, Liliana
dc.contributor.authorJones, Darryl N
dc.contributor.authorBadawy, Hope T
dc.contributor.authorEliason, Chad M
dc.contributor.authorShawkey, Matthew D
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T11:23:26Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T11:23:26Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.date.modified2014-07-21T05:08:44Z
dc.identifier.issn0022-0949
dc.identifier.doi10.1242/jeb.098343
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/61394
dc.description.abstractInfection is an important source of mortality for avian embryos but parental behaviors and eggs themselves can provide a network of antimicrobial defenses. Mound builders (Aves: Megapodiidae) are unique among birds in that they produce heat for developing embryos not by sitting on eggs but by burying them in carefully tended mounds of soil and microbially decomposing vegetation. The low infection rate of eggs of one species in particular, the Australian brush-turkey (Alectura lathami), suggests that they possess strong defensive mechanisms. To identify some of these mechanisms, we first quantified antimicrobial albumen proteins and characterized eggshell structure, finding that albumen was not unusually antimicrobial, but that eggshell cuticle was composed of nanometer-sized calcite spheres. Experimental tests revealed that these modified eggshells were significantly more hydrophobic and better at preventing bacterial attachment and penetration into the egg contents than chicken eggs. Our results suggest that these mechanisms may contribute to the antimicrobial defense system of these eggs, and may provide inspiration for new biomimetic anti-fouling surfaces.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherThe Company of Biologists
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdom
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom1116
dc.relation.ispartofpageto1121
dc.relation.ispartofissue7
dc.relation.ispartofjournalJournal of Experimental Biology
dc.relation.ispartofvolume217
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchWildlife and habitat management
dc.subject.fieldofresearchBiological sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchBiomedical and clinical sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode410407
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode31
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode32
dc.titleAntimicrobial properties of a nanostructured eggshell from a compost-nesting bird
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
gro.rights.copyrightSelf-archiving of the author-manuscript version is not yet supported by this journal. Please refer to the journal link for access to the definitive, published version or contact the authors for more information.
gro.hasfulltextNo Full Text
gro.griffith.authorJones, Darryl N.


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