title: Purine metabolizing capability of Enterobacter agglomerans affects volatiles production and attractiveness to Mexican fruit fly.
abstract: We investigated two strains of Enterobacter agglomerans that differ in their ability to metabolize uric acid for (1) attractiveness to sugar-fed Mexican fruit flies, and (2) production of volatile chemicals that may be responsible for the attractiveness. The two strains were cultured on a medium that contained uric acid as the primary nitrogen source to simulate bird feces, a natural substrate for this bacterium. Active cultures of both strains were more attractive than uninoculated uric acid medium to both sexes of sugar-fed flies in wind-tunnel bioassays. The uricase(+) strain was more attractive than the uricase(-) strain to males and to females <9 days old, but not to older females. Volatiles found by solid-phase microextraction in greater amounts in headspace above active cultures of both strains than above uninoculated medium were ammonia, dimethyldisulfide, 3-methylbutanol, 2-phenylethanol, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, and trimethylpyrazine. The uricase(+) strain produced more ammonia, dimethyldisulfide, and trimethylpyrazine than the uricase(-) strain. An additional chemical, 3-hydroxybutanone, appears to be produced exclusively by the uricase(+) strain. The uricase(-) strain produced more 2-phenylethanol than the uricase(+) strain. Differences in volatiles are consistent with the generally greater attractiveness of the uricase(+) strain compared with the uricase(-) strain as ammonia, 3-hydroxybutanone, and trimethylpyrazine have been demonstrated attractive to sugar-fed Mexican fruit flies.
authors.affiliation: Crop Quality and Fruit Insects Research, ARS, USDA Weslaco, Texas 78596, USA. drobacker@weslaco.ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Robacker
authors.forename: Carol R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lauzon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004175:Diptera / Q000502:physiology*; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010675:Pheromones / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011687:Purines / Q000378:metabolism*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones; D011687:Purines