Identification and functional analysis of the S-layer protein SplA of Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood of honey bees.
The gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae is the etiological agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), a globally occurring, deathly epizootic of honey bee brood.AFB outbreaks are predominantly caused by two genotypes of P.larvae, ERIC I and ERIC II, with P.larvae ERIC II being the more virulent genotype on larval level.Recently, com