Ultrastructural detection of intracellular bacterial symbionts in the wood-inhabiting nematode Bursaphelenchus mucronatus (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae)

What is it about?

Symbiotic intracellular bacteria (endosymbionts) are widespread in chelicerates (mites, ticks, spiders) and insects where they are of the great importance for life style and physiology. The endosymbionts are found also in round worms (nematodes) where the most known bacteria Wolbachia inhabit filarial nematodes - the dangerous human parasites. Endosymbionts detected in plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) are also interesting as a tool for development of new approaches for biological suppression of harmful species._x000D_ Ultrastructural observations of the wood-inhabiting plant feeding nematode Bursaphelenchus mucronatus revealed intracellular gram-negative bacteria identified preliminary as related to the genus Cardinium, the endosymbionts from the phylum Bacteroidetes well known in arthropods and have also been found before in several PPNs. The observations detected close association of the endosymbiont with spermatozoa that may be interpreted as involvement of bacteria into the reproductive strategy of this nematode._x000D_ Data on B. mucronatus are the first record of Cardinium in wood-inhabiting nematodes and makes it promising to further search for these bacteria in the closely related species B. xylophylus, the nematode that causes the pine wilt disease resulting in significant economic loss in forestry. _x000D_

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