Nature Communications (Sep 2020)

Chemical entrapment and killing of insects by bacteria

  • Louis K. Ho,
  • Martin Daniel-Ivad,
  • Swathi P. Jeedigunta,
  • Jing Li,
  • Konstantin G. Iliadi,
  • Gabrielle L. Boulianne,
  • Thomas R. Hurd,
  • Craig A. Smibert,
  • Justin R. Nodwell

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18462-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Streptomyces bacteria produce metabolites with diverse biological activities. Here, Ho et al. show that some of these metabolites are volatile terpenes that attract fruit flies, while other metabolites can kill the insect’s larvae upon ingestion of bacterial spores.