Gundersen‐Rindal, Dawn

Phy.to.plas'ma. Gr. neut. n.phyton, a plant; Gr. neut. n.plasmasomething formed or molded, a form; N.L. neut. n.Phytoplasma, a form from a plant.Tenericutes / Mollicutes / Acholeplasmatales / Incertae Sedis ‐ Family II /CandidatusPhytoplasmaThe generic name ‘CandidatusPhytoplasma’ has been adopted by specialists to refer to a monophyletic clade of wall‐less phytopathogenic bacteria affiliated with the orderAcholeplasmatalesin the classMollicutes. These small (<1 µm) pleomorphic cells occur within the nutritionally‐rich phloem sap and sieve elements of plants, and in the gut or hemolymph of insects that feed on plants. Sustained culture in cell‐free media has not yet been demonstrated for any phytoplasma, and a recent report of successful axenic culture remains to be independently replicated. Reference strains are maintained in plants by periodic graft inoculation. Sequence analysis of PCR‐amplified rDNA, plus considerations of the plant host range and vector species, provide a basis for phytoplasma strain identification and assignment to phylogenetic groups. Hundreds of plant species are susceptible to infection, with signs including discoloration, stunting, virescence, phyllody, proliferation of flowers or shoots, or sterility. The necessity for strict quarantine regulations to control the spread of phytoplasmas among important plants such as fruit trees, palms, and grapevines illustrates the importance of accurate identification and nomenclature for these organisms.

Phy.to.plas'ma. Gr. masc. n.phytosa plant; Gr. neut. n.plasmasomething formed or molded, a form.Tenericutes / Mollicutes / Acholeplasmatales / incertae Sedis ‐ Family II / “Candidatus Phytoplasma”Phytoplasmas (Sears and Kirkpatrick, 1994) are wall‐less, nutritionally fastidious, phytopathogenic prokaryotes 0.2–0.8 µm in diameter that morphologically resemble members of theMollicutes. Sequencing of nearly full‐length PCR‐amplified 16S rRNA genes (Gundersen et al., 1994; Namba et al., 1993; Seemüller et al., 1994), combined with earlier studies (Kuske and Kirkpatrick, 1992b; Lim and Sears, 1989), provided the first comprehensive phylogeny of the organisms and showed that they constitute a unique, monophyletic clade within theMollicutes. These organisms are most closely related to members of the genusAcholeplasmawithin theAnaeroplasmaclade as defined by Weisburg et al. (1989). Sustained culture in cell‐free media has not yet been demonstrated for any phytoplasma. Their genome sizes have been estimated to range from 530 to 1350 kb, and the G+C content of phytoplasma DNA is about 23–30 mol%. The presence of a characteristic oligonucleotide sequence in the 16S rRNA gene, CAA GAY BAT KAT GTK TAG CYG GDC T, and standard codon usage indicate that phytoplasmas represent a distinct taxon for which the name “CandidatusPhytoplasma” has been adopted by specialists in the molecular biology and pathogenicity of these and similar phytopathogenic organisms (IRPCM Phytoplasma/Spiroplasma Working Team – Phytoplasma Taxonomy Group, 2004). At present, the designation “Candidatus” must still be used for new types.