Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestation increases the risk of bacterial contamination and alters nutritional content in storage Chinese cabbage

Abstract

BACKGROUND Aphids are common insect pests that feed on and excrete feces/honeydew on storage vegetables, especially in the temperate region of the northern hemisphere. The honeydew of aphids is an excellent growth medium for microorganisms. To explore the effects of aphid infestation on the risk of microbial contamination and food safety: (i) the bacterial diversity and community in aphid honeydew were investigated; (ii) the nutritional components of the cabbage were analyzed; and (iii) safety was evaluated. RESULTS The results showed that the dominant bacteria in storage Chinese cabbage under different exposure times belonged to the phylum Proteobacteria, family Enterobacteriaceae. The richness of Enterobacteriaceae increased from 36.35% (1 day) to 39.70% (5 days) and to 50.74% (10 days) as the exposure time increased. Serratia was the genus with the highest abundance (23.38% for 1 day, 30.56% for 5 days and 37.85% for 10 days). The abundance of pathways associated with Staphylococcus aureus infection and Shigellosis increased significantly after prolonged storage. In addition, when the aphid density increased from 0 to 100 per 250 g of Chinese cabbage leaves, the protein content in Chinese cabbage decreased significantly, whereas the reducing sugar content increased significantly. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that the honeydew excreted by the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) on storage Chinese cabbage can serve as a medium for some foodborne disease pathogens. The present study may provide both a theoretical and practical basis for vegetable storage to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen infection and to maintain the balance of nutrients. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Two Cladosporium Fungi with Opposite Functions to the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect Have Different Genome Characters

“…The honeydew is vulnerable to be contaminated by microorganisms especially in the hot and humid regions [ 7 , 11 ]. It has been reported that the honeydew of scale insects and aphids is a source of nourishment to some microorganisms [ 12 ]. For E. pela , the honeydew they secrete is a good culture medium for Cladosporium genus fungi [ 7 ].…”

The Gustavus Gene Can Regulate the Fecundity of the Green Peach Aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer)

“…This aphid is known to extract nutrients from the phloem and xylem of more than 400 plant species in over 50 families (Smith, 1926;van Emden et al, 1969, van Emden andHarrington, 2017;Weber, 1986;Spiller et al, 1990;Bernays and Chapman, 1994;Gupta, 2001;Chen et al, 2020), including both row crops and ornamentals grown in greenhouses. M. persicae reduces crop yields by causing systemic perturbations in nutrient allocation, leaf discoloration and necrosis, and leaf and/or fruit deformation (Zhan et al, 2020). Furthermore, M. persicae is one of the most effective vectors for plant viruses (Ng and Perry, 2004;Ng and Falk, 2006) and can transmit a large number of economically important viruses in a persistent, semi-persistent, or non-persistent manner (Carmo-Sousa et al, 2014).…”