eop1 DIFFERS IN STRAINS OF ERWINIA AMYLOVORA THAT DIFFER IN HOST SPECIFICITY

Erwinia amylovora causes the disease fire blight in many rosaceous hosts. While strains of E. amylovora typically have wide host ranges within that family, some strains are limited to infecting plants within the genus Rubus, which includes raspberries and blackberries. While previous work has elucidated genetic and microbiological differences between strains representative of the broad host range group and those infecting Rubus species, these differences have not been linked directly to host specificity. Results of the present work suggest the possibility that the gene eop1 plays a role in host specificity in strains of E. amylovora.