''Erwinia'' is a genus of

Enterobacterales Enterobacterales is an order of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative, non-spore forming, Facultative anaerobic organism, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria with the class Gammaproteobacteria. The type genus of this order is ''Enterob ...

bacteria containing mostly

plant pathogen Plant diseases are diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like orga ...

ic species which was named for the famous

plant pathologist Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

Erwin Frink Smith Erwin Frink Smith (January 21, 1854 – April 6, 1927) was an American plant pathologist with the United States Department of Agriculture. He played a major role in demonstrating that bacteria could cause plant disease. Life and career Smith wa ...

. It contains

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...

bacteria related to ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...

'', ''

Shigella ''Shigella'' is a genus of bacteria that is Gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, non–spore-forming, nonmotile, rod shaped, and is genetically nested within ''Escherichia''. The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who discovered it in 1 ...

'', ''

Salmonella ''Salmonella'' is a genus of bacillus (shape), rod-shaped, (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two known species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' ...

'', and ''

Yersinia ''Yersinia'' is a genus of bacteria in the family Yersiniaceae. ''Yersinia'' species are Gram-negative, coccobacilli bacteria, a few micrometers long and fractions of a micrometer in diameter, and are facultative anaerobes. Some members of '' ...

''. They are primarily rod-shaped bacteria. Many infect

woody plant A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposed to Herbaceous plant, herbaceous plants that die back to t ...

s. A well-known member of this genus is the species '' E. amylovora'', which causes

fire blight Fire blight, also written fireblight, is a contagious disease affecting apples, pears, and some other members of the family Rosaceae. It is a serious concern to apple and pear producers. Under optimal conditions, it can destroy an entire orchard ...

on apples, pears, and other

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

crops; ''E. tracheiphila'', though, causes

bacterial wilt Bacterial wilt is a complex of diseases that occur in plants such as Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae (tomato etc.) and are caused by the pathogens ''Erwinia tracheiphila'', a gram-negative bacterium, or '' Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumf ...

cucurbits The Cucurbitaceae (), also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera.

. Other familiar species, such as '' E. carotovora'' (another major cause of plant diseases), are more distantly related to the fire blight bacterium, and have been moved to genera ''

Brenneria ''Brenneria'' is a genus of Pectobacteriaceae, containing mostly pathogens of woody plants. This genus is named after the microbiologist Don J. Brenner. Some members of this genus were formerly placed in ''Erwinia''. Species Species now plac ...

'', ''

Dickeya ''Dickeya'' is a genus of the family Pectobacteriaceae that consists mainly of pathogens from herbaceous plants. Dickeya is the result of the reclassification of 75 strains of ''Pectobacterium chrysanthemi'', as well as '' Brenneria paradisiaca' ...

'', and ''

Pectobacterium ''Pectobacterium'' is a bacterial genus of the family Pectobacteriaceae; it used to be a member of the genus ''Erwinia'', which was split into three genera: ''Erwinia'', ''Pectobacterium'', and ''Brenneria''. Species include ''Pectobacterium c ...

''. ''Erwinia aphidocola'' and ''E. persicina'' species were both observed to be present within the floral nectar microbial community of seven different orchid (''

Epipactis ''Epipactis'', or helleborine, is a genus of terrestrial orchids consisting of approximately 70 species. This genus is abbreviated as Epcts in horticultural trade. Description Their creeping, fleshy rhizomes grow offshoots, from which then eme ...

'') flower species. ''E. aphidicola'' appears to display characteristics of a pathogen as it had decimated fifty percent of a bean crop in Spain in late 2003. ''Erwinia rhapontici'' has been identified as a plant pathogen that produces a distinct diffusible pink pigment on sucrose-peptone agar and creates pink seeds in the hosts. It is also found to be a wound pathogen. Wound pathogens are replicating microorganisms in a wound that can cause the host injury. It is possible that the bacterium can penetrate though young pea pods through wounds or injuries and infect seeds produced in the pod, causing deformed leaves. Erwinia uredovora is a bacterium from which Phytoene desaturase was isolated, which is the gene that is inserted into golden rice.

Species

Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in ''Erwinia'' are: * ''

Erwinia amylovora Fire blight, also written fireblight, is a contagious disease affecting apples, pears, and some other members of the family Rosaceae. It is a serious concern to apple and pear producers. Under optimal conditions, it can destroy an entire orchard ...

'' (Fire blight) * ''

Erwinia aphidicola ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia billingiae ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia endophytica ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia gerundensis ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia iniecta ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia mallotivora ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia oleae ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * ''

Erwinia papayae ''Erwinia papayae'' is a bacteria species causing bacterial crown rot, or bacterial canker, a noteworthy and grave disease of papaya ('' Carica papaya''). Importance ''Erwinia papayae'', the bacterial pathogen responsible for the disease, was f ...

'' * ''

Erwinia persicina ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', ''Shigella'', ...

'' * ''

Erwinia piriflorinigrans ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

'' * '' Erwinia psidii'' * ''

Erwinia pyrifoliae ''Erwinia pyrifoliae'' is a Gram-negative bacterium and a phytopathogen of Asian pear trees (''Pyrus pyrifolia ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' is a species of pear tree native to southern China and northern Indochina that has been introduced to Korea, Jap ...

'' * '' Erwinia rhapontici'' * ''

Erwinia tasmaniensis ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', ''Shigella'' ...

'' * '' Erwinia teleogrylli'' * ''

Erwinia toletana ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', ''Shigella'', ...

'' * ''

Erwinia tracheiphila Bacterial wilt is a complex of diseases that occur in plants such as Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae (tomato etc.) and are caused by the pathogens ''Erwinia tracheiphila'', a gram-negative bacterium, or '' Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumf ...

'' * ''

Erwinia typographi ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', ''Shigella'', ...

'' * '' Erwinia uredovora'' * ''

Erwinia uzenensis ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', ''Shigella'' ...

'' ''

Dickeya dadantii ''Dickeya dadantii'' is a Gram-negative Bacillus (shape), bacillus that belongs to the family Pectobacteriaceae. It was formerly known as ''Erwinia chrysanthemi'' but was reassigned as ''Dickeya dadantii'' in 2005. Members of this family are facu ...

'' was formerly classified as ''Erwinia chrysanthemi''.

References

{{Authority control Bacterial plant pathogens and diseases Bacteria genera Enterobacterales