First isolation and identification of Serratia marcescens J (Enterobacterales: Yersiniaceae) in a commercial colony of Nauphoeta cinerea (Olivier, 1789) (Blattodea: Blaberidae)

Abstract

The speckled cockroach, Nauphoeta cinerea (Olivier, 1789) (Blattodea: Blaberidae), is a common live feed source for reptiles, amphibians, insectivorous birds, and predatory invertebrates due to its high nutritional value. On 26 July 2025, adult individuals obtained from a pet shop in Ankara were brought to the laboratory, and shortly thereafter, they exhibited pink feces, signs of decomposition, and mass mortality. Light microscopy of suspensions prepared from the cadavers revealed bacterial cells, which were subsequently cultured on LB agar. The colonies appeared dark red, and Gram staining indicated that the bacterium was Gram-negative with a bacillus morphology. Blastn analysis of the 16S rRNA gene region of the isolated bacterium confirmed its identity as Serratia marcescens J (Enterobacterales: Yersiniaceae) with 100% similarity. Phylogenetic analysis placed it in the same cluster as another isolate reported from Türkiye (accession number: KX959982.1), supported by a bootstrap value of 80%. Adult female N. cinerea individuals were experimentally infected with five different doses of S. marcescens (1 × 105–1 × 109 cfu/mL). After fourteen days, the highest dose resulted in 80% mortality, and the LD₅₀ was calculated as 9.84 × 105 cfu/mL. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the isolation of S. marcescens from the live feed N. cinerea and its high virulence in these insects. The findings highlight potential mass mortality events in the live feed trade, emphasizing economic losses, zoonotic and pathogenic risks, and the critical importance of hygiene and biosecurity measures.

Keywords

• Commercial colony
• entomopathogenic bacteria
• insect mortality
• live feed
• speckled cockroach

Supporting Institution

The authors received no financial support from any institution or organization for this study.

Ethical Statement

No ethical approval was required as the study involved only insects and microbial isolates.

Thanks

We thank the High Technology Research and Application Center (YUTAM) for providing research facilities to support this study.

Nauphoeta cinerea (Olivier, 1789) (Blattodea: Blaberidae)'nın ticari kolonisinde Serratia marcescens J (Enterobacterales: Yersiniaceae)'in ilk izolasyonu ve tanımlanması

Abstract

Benekli hamam böceği, Nauphoeta cinerea (Olivier, 1789) (Blattodea: Blaberidae), yüksek besin değeri nedeniyle sürüngenler, amfibiler, böcekçil kuşlar ve avcı omurgasızlar için yaygın bir canlı yem kaynağıdır. 26 Temmuz 2025’te Ankara’daki bir petshoptan temin edilen ergin bireyler, laboratuvara getirildikten kısa süre sonra pembe dışkı ve erime belirtileri ile toplu olarak ölmüştür. Kadavralardan hazırlanan süspansiyon ile yapılan ışık mikroskobisi analizinde bakteri hücreleri saptanmış ve LB agar üzerinde kültürlenmiştir. Koloniler koyu kırmızı renkte olup, Gram boyama sonuçları bakterinin Gram-negatif ve basil morfolojisine sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. İzole edilen bakterinin 16S rRNA gen bölgesinin Blastn analizi, %100 benzerlik ile Serratia marcescens J (Enterobacterales: Yersiniaceae) olduğunu doğrulamıştır. Filogenetik analizde ise Türkiye’den bildirilen bir diğer izolat (erişim numarası: KX959982.1) ile aynı kümeye yerleşmiş olup, bu ilişki %80 bootstrap değeri ile desteklenmektedir. Ergin dişi N. cinerea bireyleri, S. marcescens’in beş farklı dozu (1 × 105–1 × 109 cfu/mL) ile enfekte edilmiştir. On dört gün sonunda en yüksek dozda ölüm oranı %80 olarak belirlenmiş ve LD₅₀ değeri 9.84 × 105 cfu/mL olarak hesaplanmıştır. Bu çalışma, S. marcescens’in canlı yem N. cinerea’dan ilk kez izole edildiğini ve böceklerde yüksek virülansa sebep olduğunu göstermektedir. Bulgular, canlı yem ticaretinde ekonomik kayıplara yol açabilecek toplu ölümler ile zoonotik ve patojenik riskleri vurgulamakta, hijyen ve biyogüvenlik önlemlerinin önemini ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Ticari koloni
• entomopatojenik bakteri
• böcek mortalitesi
• canlı yem
• benekli hamam böceği

Supporting Institution

Bu çalışma için yazarlar herhangi bir kurum veya kuruluş tarafından maddi destek almamıştır.

Ethical Statement

Çalışmada yalnızca böcekler ve mikrobiyal izolatlar kullanıldığı için etik kurul onayı gerekmemiştir.

Thanks

Bu çalışmaya destek sağlayan araştırma olanaklarını sunduğu için Yüksek Teknoloji Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi’ne (YUTAM) teşekkür ederiz.

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