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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2007, p. 7210-7217, Vol. 73, No. 22
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00960-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Influence of Native Microbiota on Survival of Ralstonia solanacearum Phylotype II in River Water Microcosms{triangledown}

Belén Álvarez,1 María M. López,1 and Elena G. Biosca2*

Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Carretera Moncada-Náquera, km 4.5, Moncada 46113, Valencia, Spain,1 Departamento de Microbiología y Ecología, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjasot 46100, Valencia, Spain2

Received 29 April 2007/ Accepted 29 August 2007

Ralstonia solanacearum phylotype II biovar 2 causes bacterial wilt in solanaceous hosts, producing severe economic losses worldwide. Waterways can be major dissemination routes of this pathogen, which is able to survive for long periods in sterilized water. However, little is known about its survival in natural water when other microorganisms, such as bacteriophages, other bacteria, and protozoa, are present. This study looks into the fate of a Spanish strain of R. solanacearum inoculated in water microcosms from a Spanish river, containing different microbiota fractions, at 24°C and 14°C, for a month. At both temperatures, R. solanacearum densities remained constant at the initial levels in control microcosms of sterile river water while, by contrast, declines in the populations of the introduced strain were observed in the nonsterile microcosms. These decreases were less marked at 14°C. Lytic bacteriophages present in this river water were involved in the declines of the pathogen populations, but indigenous protozoa and bacteria also contributed to the reduced persistence in water. R. solanacearum variants displaying resistance to phage infection were observed, but only in microcosms without protozoa and native bacteria. In water microcosms, the temperature of 14°C was more favorable for the survival of this pathogen than 24°C, since biotic interactions were slower at the lower temperature. Similar trends were observed in microcosms inoculated with a Dutch strain. This is the first study demonstrating the influence of different fractions of water microorganisms on the survival of R. solanacearum phylotype II released into river water microcosms.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de Microbiología y Ecología, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjasot 46100, Valencia, Spain. Phone: 34 96 354 31 94. Fax: 34 96 354 45 70. E-mail: elena.biosca{at}uv.es

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 September 2007.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2007, p. 7210-7217, Vol. 73, No. 22
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00960-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Alvarez, B., Lopez, M. M., Biosca, E. G. (2008). Survival strategies and pathogenicity of Ralstonia solanacearum phylotype II subjected to prolonged starvation in environmental water microcosms. Microbiology 154: 3590-3598 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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