FIG 1.

Life cycle of S. carpocapsae. (A) Photomicrographs of S. carpocapsae infective juveniles (IJs) with GFP-expressing X. nematophila. The left frame shows an IJ outside the host, and the right frame shows an IJ that was extracted from a host and that is defecating X. nematophila. (B) The life cycle of S. carpocapsae. IJs in the soil find a host, enter through a natural body opening, and defecate their symbiotic bacteria into the host. The bacteria play an important role in overcoming the host immune system (1). The nematodes develop and reproduce in the insect cadaver until resources are depleted. New IJs then form and exit the cadaver. Green dots represent the bacterial endosymbiont.