ABSTRACT We investigated the role in bacterial infection of a putative ABC transporter, designated ybiT , of Erwinia chrysanthemi AC4150. The deduced sequence of this gene showed amino acid sequence similarity with other putative ABC transporters of gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa , as well as structural similarity with proteins of Streptomyces spp. involved in resistance to macrolide antibiotics. The gene contiguous to ybiT , designated as pab (putative antibiotic biosynthesis) showed sequence similarity with Pseudomonas and Streptomyces genes involved in the biosynthesis of antibiotics. A ybiT mutant (BT117) was constructed by marker exchange. It retained full virulence in potato tubers and chicory leaves, but it showed reduced ability to compete in planta against the wild-type strain or against selected saprophytic bacteria. These results indicate that the ybiT gene plays a role in the in planta fitness of the bacteria.