Pectobacterium carotovorum

Pectobacterium carotovorum
Slime flux on a Camperdown elm caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Pseudomonadota
Class:	Gammaproteobacteria
Order:	Enterobacterales
Family:	Pectobacteriaceae
Genus:	Pectobacterium
Species:	P. carotovorum
Binomial name
Pectobacterium carotovorum (Jones 1901) Waldee 1945
Subspecies
Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. actinidiae" Koh et al. 2012 Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense" Nabhan et al. 2012 Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. wasabiae (Goto and Matsumoto 1987) Hauben et al. 1999 Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. atrosepticum (van Hall 1902) Hauben et al. 1999 Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Jones 1901) Hauben et al. 1999 Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. odoriferum (Gallois et al. 1992) Hauben et al. 1999 Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. betavasculorum (Thomson et al. 1984) Hauben et al. 1999
Synonyms
Erwinia carotovora

Pectobacterium carotovorum is a bacterium of the family Pectobacteriaceae; it used to be a member of the genus Erwinia.^[1]

The species is a plant pathogen with a diverse host range, including many agriculturally and scientifically important plant species. It produces pectolytic enzymes that hydrolyze pectin between individual plant cells. This causes the cells to separate, a disease plant pathologists term bacterial soft rot. Specifically, it causes beet vascular necrosis and blackleg of potato and other vegetables (hence the name carotovora – "carrot-eater"), as well as slime flux on many different tree species.^[2] Currently, there are four described subspecies of P. carotovorum (carotovorum, brasiliense, odoriferum, and actinidiae).^[3]

This bacterium is a ubiquitous plant pathogen with a wide host range (carrot, potato, tomato, leafy greens, squash and other cucurbits, onion, green peppers, African violets, etc.), able to cause disease in almost any plant tissue it invades. It is a very economically important pathogen in terms of post-harvest losses, and a common cause of decay in stored fruits and vegetables. Decay caused by P. carotovora is often referred to as "bacterial soft rot" though this may also be caused by other bacteria. Most plants or plant parts can resist invasion by the bacteria, unless some type of wound is present. High humidity and temperatures around 30 °C (86 °F) favor development of decay. The cells become highly motile near this temperature (26 °C (79 °F)) when fructose is present.^[4] Mutants can be produced which are less virulent. Virulence factors include: pectinases, cellulases, (which degrade plant cell walls), and also proteases, lipases, xylanases, and nucleases (along with the normal virulence factors for pathogens – Fe acquisition, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) integrity^[specify], multiple global regulatory systems).