Biological control of the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora using bacteriophages

Bacteriophages offer unique benefits for the specific control of Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight in pome fruit. Unfortunately, the majority of described phages were tested for efficacy in vitro only. Data from infection assays using pear slices or detached blossoms is rare and field trials are barely reported. It remains to be studied if bacteriophages could control fire blight in the open field. This review summarizes current knowledge of different phages infecting E. amylovora. In addition, the requirements for a phage to optimally function as a biological antimicrobial agent in agriculture are discussed together with the ideal setup of field trials and the formulation of phages for best results.