lungisanigoso
My adopted bacterium is scientifically called a Photorhabdus luminescens (previously called a Xenorhabdus luminescens), nicknamed the "Angel's Glow" by the soldiers of the American Civil War. This is a special bacterium, not only because it produces light, but because it is really useful to humans and the environment all together.
"In nature, light creates the color", this quote is the perfect description of the P. luminescens which uses it's light to balance, control and propel nature forward.
The P. luminescens acts a partner to a worm called a nematode, the nematode keeps the bacteria inside it's gut until if finds a suitable victim. Once inside a victim, the worm spits out the bacteria into the hosts bloodstream and it produces toxins that kill the insects, enzymes that liquefy it and glows for some reason.
Scientists don't really know why the P. luminescens glow, but the possible reason is that it's a strategy to lure a next victim. Generally, insects are attracted to light.
P. luminescens is a gram-negative, bioluminescent bacterium from the family Enterobacteriaceae which has been found in countries across the globe.
P. luminescens does not infect human beings, luckily, but they can get into human wounds, but it usually doesn't cause disease. Instead they only glow, having a wound that glows ghastly green is a good sign for recovery.
P. luminescens can be used a biological insecticide, as they effectively kill insects, this can be achieved by intentionally exposing this bacterium into an area that is crowded by insects and this bacterium can kill them off fast and safely in an environmentally friendly manner.
The light emitting genes can be harvested off of this bacterium to produce a light entity that is safe for the environment.
It can also be used to repel other microorganisms from a wound in a person.
When the nematode infects an insect, P. luminescens is released into the blood stream and rapidly kills the insect host (within 48 hours) by producing toxins, such as the high molecular weight insecticidal protein complex Tca. P. luminescens also produces a proteic toxin through the expression of a single gene called makes caterpillars floppy (mcf).
It also secretes enzymes which break down the body of the infected insect and bioconvert it into nutrients which can be used by both nematode and bacteria. In this way, both organisms gain enough nutrients to replicate several times.
The P. luminescens produces antibiotics that prevent any other microbes from getting in on the feast.
