Restructuring of endophytic bacterial communities in grapevine yellows-diseased and recovered Vitis vinifera L. Plants

Length heterogeneity-PCR assays, combined with statistical analyses, highlighted that the endophytic bacterial community associated with healthy grapevines was characterized by a greater diversity than that present in diseased and recovered plants. The findings suggest that phytoplasmas can restructure the bacterial community by selecting endophytic strains that could elicit a plant defense response. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology.