Bacterial transfer from nematodes to the invasive ant and the potential for colony mortality in coastal Maine.

The necromenic nematode has been frequently found in nests of the invasive European ant in coastal Maine, United States, and may contribute to ant mortality and collapse of colonies by transferring environmental bacteria. and several other bacterial species were found in the digestive tracts of nematodes harvested from collapsed ant colonies. , , and were collected from the hemolymph of nematode-infected wax moth () larvae. Virulence against waxworms varied by the site of origin of the nematodes. In adult nematodes, bacteria were highly concentrated in the digestive tract with none observed on the cuticle. In contrast, juveniles had more on the cuticle than in the digestive tract. Host species was the primary factor affecting bacterial community profiles, but sp. and sequences were shared across ants, nematodes, and nematode-exposed larvae.