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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Phytoplasmas and Phytoplasma Diseases
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Phytoplasmas and Phytoplasma Diseases

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Microbe Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2201

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carmine Marcone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, I-84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: phytoplasmas; phytoplasma diseases; phytoplasma epidemiology; taxonomy and phylogeny
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Assunta Bertaccini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Interests: bacteria; phytoplasmas; plant diseases; detection; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phytoplasmas are obligate, plant-pathogenic microorganisms of the class Mollicutes associated with diseases of more than a thousand plant species worldwide. In diseased plants, phytoplasmas colonize the phloem sieve tube elements and are transmitted from plant to plant by phloem-feeding homopteran insects, mainly leafhoppers and planthoppers, and less frequently psyllids. Phytoplasmas are associated to a wide range of symptoms that are either specific or largely non-specific. The latter are most often common in woody plants.

Phytoplasma diseases are widespread and of considerable economic and ecological significance. These diseases differ in their geographic distribution, number and size of the various ribosomal groups and subgroups of the associated ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ species, and insect vector relationships. In several instances, phytoplasma diseases escape observation because affected plants show non-specific symptoms such as yellowing, stunting and/or decline. Also, the phytoplasma titer in diseased plants, especially in those with non-specific symptoms, is often so low that infections can only be detected through highly sensitive molecular assays. Latent phytoplasma infections, which are common in woody plants, can serve as inoculum reservoirs for further spread the bacteria to susceptible plants.

This Special Issue covers several aspects of phytoplasmas and their associated diseases including (i) detection, identification, (ii) phytoplasma-plant host interactions, (iii) phytoplasma-insect vector relationships, (iv) phytoplasma titer and colonization behavior in affected plants, and (vi) disease management and control.

Dr. Carmine Marcone
Dr. Assunta Bertaccini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • yellows and decline diseases
  • ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ species
  • 16Sr group/subgroups
  • Phytoplasma taxonomy
  • symptomatology
  • epidemiology
  • fruit trees
  • forest trees
  • shrubs
  • herbaceous crops
  • flower crops
  • weeds

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 5896 KiB  
Article
Molecular Identification and Genotyping of Phytoplasmas Infecting Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Northern Italy
by Camilla Barbieri, Abdelhameed Moussa, Alessandro Passera, Paola Casati, Piero Attilio Bianco and Fabio Quaglino
Microorganisms 2025, 13(7), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071444 - 21 Jun 2025
Viewed by 315
Abstract
During field surveys carried out in 2021 at two farms in Lombardy (North Italy), leaf samples were collected from 113 plants (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) belonging to 18 medicinal and aromatic species. Amplification and nucleotide sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene revealed [...] Read more.
During field surveys carried out in 2021 at two farms in Lombardy (North Italy), leaf samples were collected from 113 plants (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) belonging to 18 medicinal and aromatic species. Amplification and nucleotide sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene revealed the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ (subgroup 16SrXII-A) in 69 plants (61% infection rate) belonging to 14 of the 18 examined species. Among the 14 infected species, only Nepeta cataria L. exhibited symptoms including leaf and stem reddening. Molecular typing analyses showed that ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains identified in this study constitute a genetically homogeneous population, carrying the stamp gene sequence variant St5 and the new vmp1 gene sequence variant Vm93. Phylogenetic analyses showed that ‘Ca. P. solani’ strain St5/Vm93 belongs to the cluster b-II, associated with the bindweed-related pathosystem. In silico-translated Vmp1 protein sequence alignment suggested that ‘Ca. P. solani’ strain St5/Vm93 could be generated by recombination events between ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains co-infecting the same host. The results suggested future research investigating the diffusion and the ecology of ‘Ca. P. solani’ strain St5/Vm93 in agroecosystems (including other crops), and its effect on the composition of biologically active compounds in aromatic and medicinal plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplasmas and Phytoplasma Diseases)
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14 pages, 1316 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity in Phytoplasmas from X-Disease Group Based in Analysis of idpA and imp Genes
by Florencia Ivette Alessio, Vanina Aylen Bongiorno, Carmine Marcone, Luis Rogelio Conci and Franco Daniel Fernandez
Microorganisms 2025, 13(5), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13051170 - 21 May 2025
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Abstract
Phytoplasmas of the X-disease group (16SrIII) are economically significant pathogens in South America, causing severe crop losses. Traditional classification based on the 16S rRNA gene has limitations in resolving closely related strains, prompting the exploration of alternative markers. This study focuses on the [...] Read more.
Phytoplasmas of the X-disease group (16SrIII) are economically significant pathogens in South America, causing severe crop losses. Traditional classification based on the 16S rRNA gene has limitations in resolving closely related strains, prompting the exploration of alternative markers. This study focuses on the immunodominant membrane proteins imp and idpA, which exhibit high variability and play crucial roles in host–pathogen interactions. Through molecular characterization of imp and idpA genes in 16SrIII subgroups, we identified significant genetic diversity and distinct evolutionary pressures. The imp gene, under positive selection, showed high variability in its hydrophilic extracellular domain, suggesting adaptation to host immune responses. In contrast, idpA exhibited strong negative selection, indicating functional conservation. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that imp and idpA provide higher resolution than the 16S rRNA gene, enabling finer differentiation within subgroups. These findings highlight the potential of imp and idpA as complementary markers for phytoplasma classification and diagnostics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplasmas and Phytoplasma Diseases)
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Review

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27 pages, 5135 KiB  
Review
Status and Distribution of Diseases Caused by Phytoplasmas in Africa
by Shakiru Adewale Kazeem, Agnieszka Zwolińska, Joseph Mulema, Akindele Oluwole Ogunfunmilayo, Shina Salihu, Joy Oluchi Nwogwugwu, Inusa Jacob Ajene, Justina Folasayo Ogunsola, Adedapo Olutola Adediji, Olubusola Fehintola Oduwaye, Kouamé Daniel Kra, Mustafa Ojonuba Jibrin and Wei Wei
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1229; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061229 - 27 May 2025
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Abstract
Phytoplasma (“Candidatus Phytoplasma” species) diseases have been reported globally to severely limit the productivity of a wide range of economically important crops and wild plants causing different yellows-type diseases. With new molecular detection techniques, several unknown and known diseases with uncertain etiologies [...] Read more.
Phytoplasma (“Candidatus Phytoplasma” species) diseases have been reported globally to severely limit the productivity of a wide range of economically important crops and wild plants causing different yellows-type diseases. With new molecular detection techniques, several unknown and known diseases with uncertain etiologies or attributed to other pathogens have been identified as being caused by Phytoplasmas. In Africa, Phytoplasmas have been reported in association with diseases in a broad range of host plant species. However, the few reports of Phytoplasma occurrence in Africa have not been collated together to determine the status in different countries of the continent. Thus, this paper discusses the geographical distribution, detection techniques, insect vectors, alternative hosts and socio-economic impacts of Phytoplasma diseases in Africa. This is to create research perspectives on the disease’s etiology in Africa for further studies towards identifying and limiting their negative effects on the continent’s agricultural economy. In Africa, Phytoplasmas recorded in different countries affecting different crops belong to eight groups (16SrI, 16SrII, 16SrIII, 16SrIV, 16SrVI, 16SrXI, 16SrXIV and 16SrXXII) out of the 37 groups and over 150 subgroups reported worldwide on the basis of their 16S rRNA RFLP profile. Lethal yellow disease was the most destructive Phytoplasma reported in Africa and has a high socio-economic impact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplasmas and Phytoplasma Diseases)
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