Great efforts have been made with chemicals and pesticides to contain the spread of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) responsible for kiwifruit canker. Unfortunately, only partial results were obtained for this bacterial pandemic, and alternative remedies were proposed to avoid soil pollution and the onset of antibiotic resistance. Among these, phage therapy represents a possible tool with low environmental impact and high specificity. Several phages have been isolated and tested for the capacity to kill Psa in vitro, but experiments to verify their efficacy in vivo are still lacking. In the present study, we demonstrated that the phage phi PSA2 (previously characterized) contains the spread of Psa inside plant tissue and reduces the symptoms of the disease. Our data are a strong indication for the efficiency of this phage and open the possibility of developing a phage therapy based on phi PSA2 to counteract the bacterial canker of kiwifruit.

Fiorillo, A., Frezza, D., Di Lallo, G., Visconti, S. (2023). A Phage Therapy Model for the Prevention of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Infection of Kiwifruit Plants. PLANT DISEASE, 107(2), 267-271 [10.1094/PDIS-02-22-0348-SC].

A Phage Therapy Model for the Prevention of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Infection of Kiwifruit Plants

Fiorillo, Anna;Frezza, Domenico;Di Lallo, Gustavo
;
Visconti, Sabina
2023-02-01

Abstract

Great efforts have been made with chemicals and pesticides to contain the spread of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) responsible for kiwifruit canker. Unfortunately, only partial results were obtained for this bacterial pandemic, and alternative remedies were proposed to avoid soil pollution and the onset of antibiotic resistance. Among these, phage therapy represents a possible tool with low environmental impact and high specificity. Several phages have been isolated and tested for the capacity to kill Psa in vitro, but experiments to verify their efficacy in vivo are still lacking. In the present study, we demonstrated that the phage phi PSA2 (previously characterized) contains the spread of Psa inside plant tissue and reduces the symptoms of the disease. Our data are a strong indication for the efficiency of this phage and open the possibility of developing a phage therapy based on phi PSA2 to counteract the bacterial canker of kiwifruit.
feb-2023
Pubblicato
Rilevanza internazionale
Articolo
Esperti anonimi
Settore BIO/04 - FISIOLOGIA VEGETALE
Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE
English
Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae
bacterial canker
kiwifruit
phage therapy
Fiorillo, A., Frezza, D., Di Lallo, G., Visconti, S. (2023). A Phage Therapy Model for the Prevention of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Infection of Kiwifruit Plants. PLANT DISEASE, 107(2), 267-271 [10.1094/PDIS-02-22-0348-SC].
Fiorillo, A; Frezza, D; Di Lallo, G; Visconti, S
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2108/321043
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