Phytopathogenic bacterial survival on artificial substrates

Authors: Pfeufer, Emily; Sechler, Aaron; Tancos, Matthew; Rogers, Elizabeth

Submitted to: microPublication Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Bacteria are capable of surviving drying out under many different conditions. This has been well-studied for many human bacterial pathogens, because preventing spread of disease within hospitals is critical for positive patient outcomes. Much less is known about plant bacterial pathogens and their ability to survive on surfaces, which can affect lab experiments as well as agricultural production. In this study, we tested four bacteria that are capable of infecting plants for their ability to be recovered after drying overnight on polystyrene plastic or glass and at different concentrations. All four were able to survive, and survival was more likely at higher initial concentrations of bacterial cells. This work establishes a baseline for future evaluation of sterilization techniques effective against bacterial phytopathogens on laboratory and greenhouse surfaces.

Technical Abstract: Relatively little is known about the ability of phytopathogenic bacteria, especially those under tight restriction as Select Agents, to survive desiccation on inanimate substrates. Such information is important for managing potential contamination and resulting bacterial spread during both real-world horticultural operations and laboratory experimentation. This work demonstrates that Pseudomonas marginalis, Xanthomonas campestris, Rathayibacter agropyri, and R. iranicus can all survive desiccation on both polystyrene plastic and glass surfaces and that the likelihood of survival increases with initial bacterial concentration. R. iranicus, R. agropyri, P. marginalis, and X. campestris revived from dried droplets of aqueous inoculum at concentrations of 10^4, 10^5, 10^7, and 10^7 cfu/ml, respectively. X. campestris was recovered at higher frequencies from plastic than from glass, while the other species were recovered at roughly equal frequencies from each surface. Understanding the risk of bacterial revival from dried droplets is necessary to manage contamination risks within and among experiments, whether bacteriological or occurring in labs conducting research on diverse phytopathological systems. Managing contamination potentials is particularly important when Select Agent bacterial plant pathogens and their surrogates are considered.