Phytoplasma Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Phytoplasma

Phyllody induced by phytoplasma infection on a coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Tenericutes
Class:	Mollicutes
Order:	Acholeplasmatales
Family:	Acholeplasmataceae
Genus:	*Candidatus Phytoplasma*
Species
Ca. Phytoplasma allocasuarinae Marcone et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma americanum Lee et al., 2006 Ca. Phytoplasma asteris Lee et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma aurantifolia Zreik et al., 1995 Ca. Phytoplasma australiense Davis et al., 1997 Ca. Phytoplasma australesia White et al., 1998 (Invalid name) Ca. Phytoplasma balanitae Win et al., 2012 Ca. Phytoplasma brasiliense Montano et al., 2001 Ca. Phytoplasma caricae Arocha et al., 2005 Ca. Phytoplasma castaneae Jung et al., 2002 Ca. Phytoplasma cirsii Safarova et al., 2016 Ca. Phytoplasma cocosnigeriae IRPCM, 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma cocostanzaniae IRPCM, 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma convolvuli Martini et al., 2012 Ca. Phytoplasma costaricanum Lee et al., 2001 Ca. Phytoplasma cynodontis Marcone et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma fragariae Valiunas et al., 2006 Ca. Phytoplasma fraxini Griffiths et al., 1999 Ca. Phytoplasma graminis Arocha et al., 2005 Ca. Phytoplasma hispanicum Davis et al., 2016 Ca. Phytoplasma japonicum Sawayanagi et al., 1999 Ca. Phytoplasma luffae Davis et al., 2017 Ca. Phytoplasma lycopersici Arocha et al., 2007 Ca. Phytoplasma malasianum Nejat et al., 2012 Ca. Phytoplasma mali Seemüller et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma meliae Fernandez et al., 2016 Ca. Phytoplasma noviguineense Miyazaki et al., 2017 Ca. Phytoplasma omanense Saddy et al., 2008 Ca. Phytoplasma oryzae Jung et al., 2003 Ca. Phytoplasma palmicola Harrison et al, 2014 Ca. Phytoplasma phoenicium Verdin et al., 2003 Ca. Phytoplasma pini Schneider et al., 2005 Ca. Phytoplasma pruni Davis et al., 2013 Ca. Phytoplasma prunorum Seemüller et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma pyri Seemüller et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma rhamni Marcone et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma rubi Franova et al. 2016. Ca. Phytoplasma solani Qualino et al., 2013 Ca. Phytoplasma spartii Marcone et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma sudamericanum Davis et al., 2012 Ca. Phytoplasma tamaricis Zhao et al., 2009 Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii Hikuri et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma ulmi Lee et al., 2004 Ca. Phytoplasma vitis Marzorati et al. 2006 Ca. Phytoplasma wodyetiae Narderali et al., 2017 Ca. Phytoplasma ziziphi Jung et al., 2003

Phytoplasmas are a type of parasitic bacteria. They are pathogens of economically important plants, including coconut, sugarcane, and sandalwood.

They are obligate parasites of plant phloem tissue. Their vectors are insects which inject then into the plant cells. They were discovered by scientists in 1967 and were named mycoplasma-like organisms or MLOs. They cannot be grown in vitro (in laboratory conditions), and that limits the information about them. They are described by the special term "Candidatus", reserved for such difficult organisms.