SF (Sabine) de Graauw MSc

NemEmerge: Pathobiome

Until recently, four criteria dating from 1890 were used to establish the causal relationship between one pathogen and one disease. However, these principles do not fully cover the biological reality that a pathogen or pest can often have a much broader network of interactions than exclusively with its host.

For instance, it has been demonstrated that soil microorganisms (e.g. fungi, bacteria) can suppress plant parasitic nematodes. Plant parasitic nematodes are soil-borne microscopic roundworms which infect plants via their roots. They cause plant diseases in many different crops and are therefore responsible for substantial yield losses. Accordingly, it becomes increasingly important to look into these fascinating interactions between organisms in a broader interaction context.

Microorganism occurrence can be very specific to certain niches. It is known that plants have a specific root microbiome called the rhizobiome which increases plant health. Therefore, we wonder whether plant parasitic nematodes might also carry a specific microbe composition -the pathobiome- which aids plant infection. As part of this NemEmerge project we aim to establish the presence of and identify such pathobiomes for plant parasitic nematodes. By gaining a better understanding of the biological reality, we might ultimately be able to kickstart innovations that limit the detrimental effects of these nematodes.