Erwinia amylovora ATCC 49946

Names Erwinia amylovora ATCC 49946
Accession numbers NC_013971, NC_013972, NC_013973
Background The genus Erwinia currently contains both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria. E.amylovora is a pathogen which causes fire blight, a devastating disease of Rosaceae, which poses a major threat to apple, pear and quince. Fire blight can develop very rapidly and results in scorched symptoms which can kill an entire orchard in a year. The bacterium originated in North America and has spread to other continents; from Europe an eastward advance is threatening the native origin of apple germplasm in Central Asia. It is spread by flower-foraging insects, especially honeybees, in what is thought to be a passive association.This highly virulent strain, Ea273 (ATCC 49946), was isolated from a diseased apple tree (Malus pumila cv. Rhode Island Greening) in New York State. It is over 99.99% identical to a European isolate CFBP 1430 (ERWAC), suggesting there has been minimal evolution since the global dispersion of E.amylovora. There has however been a large-scale rearrangement of the genome resulting in a position exchange of 2 large portions of the chromosome. Additionally ERWAC has only the smaller plasmid (pEA29) associated with it. Interestingly 1 type III secretion system has high homology to the insect endosymbiont Sodalis glossidinius str. morsitans (SODGM) perhaps suggesting a closer insect association beyond the known passive dispersal. Comparison with pathogenic E.pyrifoliae and the epiphyte E.tasmaniensis will hopefully shed light on the mechanisms of virulence and host range and provide information to help combat this devastating pathogen (adapted from PMID 20118253 and 20192826). (HAMAP: ERWAE)
Taxonomy
Kingdom:Bacteria
Phylum:Proteobacteria
Class:Gammaproteobacteria
Order:Enterobacteriales
Family:Enterobacteriaceae
Genus:Erwinia
Species:amylovora
Strain ATCC 49946
Complete Yes
Sequencing centre (02-FEB-2010) Aslett M.A., Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Pathogen Sequencing Unit, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus,
(26-MAR-2010) National Center for Biotechnology Information, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
Sequencing quality Level 6: Finished
Sequencing depth NA
Sequencing method NA
Isolation site Plant-derived foodstuff (Apple, Malus pumila cv. Rhode Island Greening)
Isolation country USA
Number of replicons 3
Gram staining properties Negative
Shape Bacilli
Mobility Yes
Flagellar presence Yes
Number of membranes 2
Oxygen requirements Facultative
Optimal temperature NA
Temperature range Mesophilic
Habitat HostAssociated
Biotic relationship Free living
Host name NA
Cell arrangement NA
Sporulation Nonsporulating
Metabolism NA
Energy source NA
Diseases NA
Pathogenicity No