Draft Genome Sequences of Three " Symbiopectobacterium" Isolates Collected from Potato Tubers Grown in New Zealand.

The draft genome sequences of three " Symbiopectobacterium" isolates that were collected from New Zealand-grown potato tubers represent the first report of this proposed taxon in the Southern Hemisphere. Their symbiosis with insects and nematodes and their presence on plants may lead to new strategies for pest control and crop management.

A lipopolysaccharide-dependent phage infects a pseudomonad phytopathogen and can evolve to evade phage resistance.

Bacterial pathogens are major causes of crop diseases, leading to significant production losses. For instance, kiwifruit canker, caused by the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), has posed a global challenge to kiwifruit production.

Genomic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from seafood, horticulture and factory environments in New Zealand.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne human pathogen that causes systemic infection, fetal-placental infection in pregnant women causing abortion and stillbirth and meningoencephalitis in elderly and immunocompromised individuals. This study aimed to analyse L. monocytogenes from different sources from New Zealand (NZ) and to compare them with international strains.

Biofilm Formation by 15G01, a Persistent Isolate from a Seafood-Processing Plant, Is Influenced by Inactivation of Multiple Genes Belonging to Different Functional Groups.

is a ubiquitous foodborne pathogen that results in a high rate of mortality in sensitive and immunocompromised people. Contamination of food with is thought to occur during food processing, most often as a result of the pathogen producing a biofilm that persists in the environment and acting as the source for subsequent dispersal of cells onto food. A survey of seafood-processing plants in New Zealand identified the persistent strain 15G01, which has a high capacity to form biofilms.

Inactivation of the gene encoding the cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance factor MprF increases biofilm formation but reduces invasiveness of Listeria monocytogenes.

Aims: To understand the genetics involved in surface attachment and biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes.

Methods And Results: An in vitro screen of a Himar1 transposon library of L. monocytogenes strain 15G01 identified three transposants that produced significantly different biofilm levels when compared to the wild-type strain; two mutants exhibited enhanced biofilm formation and one produced less biofilm biomass than the wild-type.