First European Erwinia amylovora Lytic Bacteriophage Cocktails Effective in the Host: Characterization and Prospects for Fire Blight Biocontrol

Fire blight, caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium , is a highly contagious and difficult-to-control disease due to its efficient dissemination and survival and the scarcity of effective control methods. Copper and antibiotics are the most used treatments but pose environmental and human health r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-03, Vol.13 (3), p.176
Main Authors: Biosca, Elena G, Delgado Santander, Ricardo, Morán, Félix, Figàs-Segura, Àngela, Vázquez, Rosa, Català-Senent, José Francisco, Álvarez, Belén
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotics
Bacteria
Biological control
Blight
Chemical control
Copper
Disease control
Disease prevention
Economic importance
environmental samples
Erwinia amylovora
Flowers & plants
Fruit trees
Fruits
lysis
Mediterranean environments
Pathogens
Phages
phytopathogenic bacteria
Plant diseases
Public health
Quarantine
specificity
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Summary:Fire blight, caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium , is a highly contagious and difficult-to-control disease due to its efficient dissemination and survival and the scarcity of effective control methods. Copper and antibiotics are the most used treatments but pose environmental and human health risks. Bacteriophages (phages) constitute an ecological, safe, and sustainable fire blight control alternative. The goal of this study was to search for specific phages from plant material, soil, and water samples in Mediterranean environments. A collection of phages able to specifically infect and lyse strains was generated from former fire blight-affected orchards in Eastern Spain. Following characterization, assays in immature fruit revealed that preventively applying some of the phages or their combinations delayed the onset of fire blight symptoms and reduced the disease's severity, suggesting their biocontrol potential in Spain and other countries. The morphological and molecular characterization of the selected phages classified them as members of the class (former family) and genus . This study reveals Mediterranean settings as plausible sources of -specific bacteriophages and provides the first effective European phage cocktails in plant material for the development of sustainable fire blight management measures.
ISSN:2079-7737
2079-7737
DOI:10.3390/biology13030176