title: Bacteria of the genus Erwinia found in the spermatheca of the laurel psyllid Trioza alacris.
abstract: Psylloidea are economically important insects causing serious damage to plants by direct feeding and/or vectoring bacterial pathogens. Results reported here indicate the presence of extracellular bacteria in the spermatheca of egg-laying Trioza alacris females. One phylotype, sharing 99 % identity with the non-phytopathogenic bacterium Erwinia tasmaniensis, was identified regardless of methods applied or insect sampling year and location. This is the first study, achieved by ultrastructural, cultural, and 16S rRNA gene-based analysis, of an insect spermatheca microbiota.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marchini
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciolfi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gottardo
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004885:Erwinia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D027442:Laurus; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S