Photorhabdus luminescens

Photorhabdus luminescens (previously called Xenorhabdus luminescens) is a Gammaproteobacteria, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, and is a lethal pathogen of insects.

It lives in the gut of an entomopathogenic nematode of the family Heterorhabditidae. 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 TcA. P. luminescens also produces a proteic toxin through the expression of a single gene called makes caterpillars floppy (mcf).