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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Visualizing Bacteria in Nematodes using Fluorescent Microscopy
Published on: October 19, 2012
Saprozoic nematodes as carriers and disseminators of plant pathogenic bacteria
Abstract:
The plant pathogenic bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith and Townsend) Conn. (strain 5-14 Deep), Erwinia amylovora (Burill) Winslow et al., E. carotovora (Jones) Holland and Pseudornonas phaseolicola (Burk.) Dows. (ICPB-PM3) and the red-pigmented non-pathogen Serratia marcescens Bizio were hosts for the saprozoic nematode Pristionchus Iheritieri (Maupas, 1919) Paramonov. Viable bacteria survived passage through the nematode and produced typical colonies on nutrient agar plates. Female nematodes ingested more bacterial cells and retained them longer than did males. It was hypothesized saprozoic nematodes may disseminate pathogenic bacteria to new infection courts.
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