The Union Is Strength: The Synergic Action of Long Fatty Acids and a Bacteriophage against Biofilm.

pv. is known as the causative agent of black rot disease, which attacks mainly crucifers, severely lowering their global productivity. One of the main virulence factors of this pathogen is its capability to penetrate and form biofilm structures in the xylem vessels. The discovery of novel approaches to crop disease management is urgent and a possible treatment could be aimed at the eradication of biofilm, although anti-biofilm approaches in agricultural microbiology are still rare. Considering the multifactorial nature of biofilm, an effective approach against implies the use of a multi-targeted or combinatorial strategy. In this paper, an anti-biofilm strategy based on the use of fatty acids and the bacteriophage (Xccφ1)-hydroxyapatite complex was optimized against mature biofilm. The synergic action of these elements was demonstrated and the efficient removal of mature biofilm was also proven in a flow cell system, making the proposed approach an effective solution to enhance plant survival in infections. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the efficacy of the proposed treatment were explored.