Variable virulence phenotype of Xenorhabdus bovienii (γ-Proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) in the absence of their vector hosts.

ABSTRACT: Xenorhabdus bovienii bacteria have a dual lifestyle: they are mutualistic symbionts to many species of Steinernema nematodes and are pathogens to a wide array of insects. Previous studies have shown that virulence of X.bovienii-Steinernema spp. pairs decreases when the nematodes associate with non-cognate bacterial strains. However, the virulence of the X. bovienii strains alone has not been fully investigated. In this study, we characterized the virulence of nine X. bovienii strains in Galleria mellonella and Spodoptera littoralis and performed a comparative genomic analysis to correlate observed phenotypes with strain genotypes. Two X. bovienii strains were found to be highly virulent against the tested insect hosts, while three strains displayed attenuated insect virulence. Comparative

SUBMITTER: McMullen JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7008216 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature