Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

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

Elena G. Biosca
* ORCID logo ,
Ricardo Delgado Santander
,
Félix Morán
,
Ángela Figàs-Segura
,
Rosa Vázquez
,
Jose Francísco Català-Senent
,
Belén Álvarez
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 27 January 2024 / Approved: 31 January 2024 / Online: 31 January 2024 (11:36:34 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Biosca, E.G.; Delgado Santander, R.; Morán, F.; Figàs-Segura, À.; Vázquez, R.; Català-Senent, J.F.; Álvarez, B. First European Erwinia amylovora Lytic Bacteriophage Cocktails Effective in the Host: Characterization and Prospects for Fire Blight Biocontrol. Biology 2024, 13, 176. Biosca, E.G.; Delgado Santander, R.; Morán, F.; Figàs-Segura, À.; Vázquez, R.; Català-Senent, J.F.; Álvarez, B. First European Erwinia amylovora Lytic Bacteriophage Cocktails Effective in the Host: Characterization and Prospects for Fire Blight Biocontrol. Biology 2024, 13, 176.

Abstract

Fire blight, caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a highly contagious and difficult-to-control disease due to the efficient dissemination, survival, and 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 E. amylovora phages from plant material, soil, and water samples in Mediterranean environments. A collection of phages able to specifically infect and lyse E. amylovora strains was generated from former fire blight-affected orchards in Eastern Spain. Following in vitro characterization, assays on immature fruit revealed that preventively applying some of the phages or their combinations delayed the onset of fire blight symptoms and reduced the disease severity, suggesting their biocontrol potential in Spain and other countries. Morphological and molecular characterization of the selected E. amylovora phages classified them as members of the class Caudoviricetes (former Myoviridae family) and genus Kolesnikvirus. This study reveals Mediterranean settings as plausible sources of E. amylovora-specific bacteriophages, and provides the first effective European phage cocktails in plant material for the development of sustainable fire blight management measures.

Keywords

phytopathogenic bacteria; biological control; phages; environmental samples; lysis; specificity; pear trees; loquats

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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