LAUSR

Ginger is an important horticultural crop with high economic and nutritional value. However, it is prone to pathogenic bacterial infection that negatively affects growth, post-harvest quality, and reduced economic profits. The study of pathogenic bacteria associated with ginger disease through its productive life cycle is extremely valuable. In this study, we isolated a key pathogen Serratia marcescens from diseased ginger rhizomes. Koch’s postulates helped verify that S. marcescens provoked disease symptoms in ginger rhizomes and seedlings. Antioxidant enzyme activities of the host were markedly increased following S. marcescens infection rhizomes. Disease incidence of seedlings was 87.3% ± 3.05, and the disease severity index was 27.1 ± 1.2 after 15 days of root filling. Further, we verified that the isolated bacterium could infect rat peripheral nerve cells (RSC96), resulting cell lysis and death. All in all, we isolated a key pathogenic bacteria S. marcescens from rot rhizomes and analyzed its pathogenic features in ginger rhizomes and seedlings and its latent ability to infect mammalian cells. This study provides new information critical to managing ginger diseases caused by bacteria with a cross-kingdom infective cycle.