Isolation of Novel <i>Xanthomonas</i> Phages Infecting the Plant Pathogens <i>X. translucens</i> and <i>X. campestris</i>

oleh: Sebastian H. Erdrich, Vikas Sharma, Ulrich Schurr, Borjana Arsova, Julia Frunzke

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-06-01

Deskripsi

The genus of <i>Xanthomonas</i> contains many well-known plant pathogens with the ability to infect some of the most important crop plants, thereby causing significant economic damage. Unfortunately, classical pest-control strategies are neither particularly efficient nor sustainable and we are, therefore, in demand of alternatives. Here, we present the isolation and characterization of seven novel phages infecting the plant-pathogenic species <i>Xanthomonas translucens</i> and <i>Xanthomonas campestris</i>. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that all phages show a siphovirion morphology. The analysis of genome sequences and plaque morphologies are in agreement with a lytic lifestyle of the phages making them suitable candidates for biocontrol. Moreover, three of the isolated phages form the new genus “<i>Shirevirus</i>”. All seven phages belong to four distinct clusters underpinning their phylogenetic diversity. Altogether, this study presents the first characterized isolates for the plant pathogen <i>X. translucens</i> and expands the number of available phages for plant biocontrol.