Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Symbiotic Bacteria Xenorhabdus Associated with Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Ghaziabad and Meerut, India

A survey for Entomopathogenic nematodes was conducted during 2013-2015.100 soil samples collected from 20 different locations in Ghaziabad and Meerut, India. Eleven Entomopathogenic nematodes were isolated by insect bait method using fifth instar larvae of Galleria mellonella and 11 symbiotic bacteria were isolated from these Entomopathogenic nematodes. These were identified as three Xenorhabdus stokiae and eight Xenorhabdus indica based on molecular data.