Summary of <i>G. mellonella</i> infection experiments.

Seven G. mellonella larvae were injected with 106 CFU of the GFP-labelled Y. pseudotuberculosis strain 4N1G (Yp) and incubated with ca. 125 Steinernema sp. MW8B nematodes (Infective Juvenile stage, IJ) associated with their natural Xenorhabdus sp. TZ01 symbiont as described in M&M. After completion of the first infectious cycle, Steinernema sp. MW8B progeny emerging from one death larva was collected, characterized according to several parameters and used to infect naïve (Yp-free) G. mellonella larvae thereby initiating a new infection cycle, and so on for 7 successive cycles. Column 2–4, number of experiments in which emerged IJs fitted the property featured on the top row; column 5, mean number of IJs emerged from one dead larva; column 6, mean count of Yp CFU retrieved from one crushed IJ; column 7, total count of Steinernema sp. MW8B-associated Yp CFU generated from one G. mellonella larva after successful cycle completion. ND, not determined; NA, not available. The Xenorhabdus sp. TZ01 symbiont was still present after each successful cycle completion. Summary of G. mellonella infection experiments.