Low-molecular-weight metabolites secreted by Paenibacillus larvae as potential virulence factors of American foulbrood.

ABSTRACT: The spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae causes a severe and highly infective bee disease, American foulbrood (AFB). Despite the large economic losses induced by AFB, the virulence factors produced by P. larvae are as yet unknown. To identify such virulence factors, we experimentally infected young, susceptible larvae of the honeybee, Apis mellifera carnica, with different P. larvae isolates. Honeybee larvae were reared in vitro in 24-well plates in the laboratory after isolation from the brood comb. We identified genotype-specific differences in the etiopathology of AFB between the tested isolates of P. larvae, which were revealed by differences in the median lethal times. Furthermore, we confirmed that extracts of P. larvae cultures contain low-molecular-weight compounds, which a

SUBMITTER: Schild HA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3993163 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature