A pre-requisite for bacterial pathogenesis is the successful interaction of a pathogen with a host. One mechanism used by a broad range of Gram negative bacterial pathogens is to deliver effector proteins directly into host cells through a dedicated type III secretion system where they modulate host cell function. The cycle inhibiting factor (Cif) family of effector proteins, identified in a gr...

Biological characteristics of two strains of the entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis floridensis (332 isolated in Florida and K22 isolated in Georgia) were described. The identity of the nematode's symbiotic bacteria was elucidated and found to be Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. luminescens. Beneficial traits pertinent to biocontrol (environmental tolerance and virulence) were characteri...

Brevibacillus parabrevis (kindly provided by Mohamed Marahiel, Department of Biochemistry, Philipps-University Marburg), Photorhabdus luminescens laumondii TT01 (Leibniz-Institute-DSMZ; DSM-15139), Delftia acidovorans SPH-1 (Leibniz-Institute-DSMZ; DSM-39) and Escherichia coli BAP1 (kindly provided by Blaine Pfeifer, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Buffalo) were...

Photorhabdus asymbiotica is a potential cause of severe soft tissue and systemic infection in Australia. The clinical and laboratory features have been described in a recent publication.1 Recognition of this unusual pathogen presents a challenge for clinical microbiology laboratories. It is a bioluminescent gram-negative bacillus and is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae. It produces a thin zon...