Deoxyribonucleic Acid Relatedness Among Erwiniae and Other Enterobacteriaceae: the Gall, Wilt, and Dry-Necrosis Organisms (Genus Erwinia Winslow et al., sensu stricto)

Abstract

Species representing the genus Erwinia (sensu stricto, the gall-, wilt-, and dry-necrosis-producing phytopathogens) were examined for relatedness to each other, to pectobacteria, and to other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The technique employed to show relatedness was deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The results indicate that all erwiniae are significantly related to Pectobacterium and to other enterobacteria. DNA relatedness reveals six species of Erwinia: E. amylovora, E. nigrifluens, E. quercina, E. rubrifaciens, E. salicis, and E. tracheiphila. E. nigrifluens, E. rubrifaciens, and E. salicis show close intrageneric relatedness, whereas the other species exhibit as much relatedness to members of other genera as to the other Erwinia species. The data support the two-genus concept of Erwinia and Pectobacterium.