Hyperparasitic Strain Screening

Hyperparasitic strains are a development direction of microbial biological control agents to replace chemical fungicides. During the development of microbial biological control agents, suitable hyperparasitic strains need to be screened from numerous candidates. As a company focusing on technical services in the field of microbiology, Creative BioMart Microbe can provide customers with comprehensive solutions and professional technical services, and help customers screen suitable hyperparasitic strains in a short time.

Hyperparasitism

Hyperparasitism is a special parasitic phenomenon defined in biology, which refers to the phenomenon that one parasitic organism is parasitized by another parasitic organism. There are multiple layers of parasitism in hyperparasitism, and parasites that use parasites as hosts are called hyperparasites. Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, for example, is a hyperparasite that uses the cytoplasm of other Gram-negative bacteria as a source of nutrients. Hyperparasitism mostly occurs in fungi, which may be an effective substitute for chemical fungicides. Therefore, studying the hyperparasitism of microorganisms on plant pathogens is of great significance for biological control. Hyperparasitic bacteria can be divided into biotrophic hyperparasites and necrotrophic hyperparasites. Biotrophic hyperparasites obtain nutrients from living host fungi without killing the host, and necrotrophic hyperparasites can obtain nutrients from dead host cells as well as from common organic matter. Hyperparasitism of necrotrophic hyperparasites leads to changes in the permeability of the host's cell wall and promotes the death of the host. Compared to biotrophic hyperparasites, necrotrophic hyperparasites are more readily available for commercial biocontrol applications.

Figure 1. Scanning electronic microscope observations of Pst urediniospore infection by A. alternata. (zhang, et al. 2018)

Screening of Hyperparasitic Strains

Creative BioMart Microbe provides hyperparasitic strain screening service to help customers screen strains with strong hyperparasitic activity from many candidates.

• For the screening of hyperparasitic strains, larger-sized host structures that are easy to handle and observe are generally used for experiments, such as sclerotia, microsclerotia, urediniospores, conidia or pustules. These host structures are exposed to candidates during the screening process, and then, by observation and comparison, the ability of the different candidates to invade the host structures is analyzed.
• Pathogenicity tests are also often performed in the screening of hyperparasitic strains to determine whether the candidate can effectively parasitize the host.

Why Choose Creative BioMart Microbe?

• Professionals in the field of microbiology will assist you with the development of microbial biological control agents and screening of hyperparasitic strains.
• Bacterial isolation and identification services are provided to assist clients in their research.
• A team of many excellent biologists provides customers with satisfactory project solutions.
• Realize real-time technical communication and tracking services.

Workflow of Hyperparasitic Strain Screening Service in Creative BioMart Microbe

If you want to know more information about this service, please feel free to contact us by phone or email, or you can consult through our inquiry form. We will ensure to provide you with efficient and high-quality services.

References:

1. Khl, J., et al. Mode of action of microbial biological control agents against plant diseases: relevance beyond efficacy. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2019, 10: 845.
2. Zheng, L., et al. Identification of a novel Alternaria alternata strain able to hyperparasitize Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of wheat stripe rust. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2017, 8: e111484.