Genomic characterisation of an entomopathogenic strain of Serratia ureilytica in the critically endangered phasmid Dryococelus australis.

ABSTRACT: Between 2014 and 2019, unexpected mortalities were observed in a colony of Dryococelus australis, an endangered stick-insect kept at the Melbourne Zoo for a breeding and conservation program. Pure cultures of Serratia spp. were obtained from the haemolymph of moribund and recently deceased individuals. The combined bacteriological and histopathological observations suggested an infectious cause of these mortalities. Genotyping of Serratia sp. isolated from the insects and their environment revealed a predominant strain profile. A representative isolate, AM923, was entirely sequenced and compared to 616 publicly available Serratia spp. genomes, including 37 associated with insects. The genomes were distributed into 3 distinct groups, with 63% of the insect-associated isolates within a singl

SUBMITTER: Allen JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9020675 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature