Bacterial endosymbionts enhance fungal virulence by disrupting the disease-suppressive rhizobiome.

Bacterial endosymbionts within Fusarium oxysporum increase fungal virulence by disrupting the rhizosphere microbiome, reducing disease-suppressive bacteria by up to 50%.

• Why it matters: Understanding how pathogens manipulate their environment is crucial for developing sustainable disease control strategies, especially as microbiome interactions influence plant health and pathogen success.
• What they did: The study examined 100 fungal isolates from tomato plants, identifying Achromobacter spp. endosymbionts that boost virulence and alter rhizosphere bacterial communities through metabolite production.
• The result: Findings demonstrate that bacterial endosymbionts enable fungi to weaken plant defenses by inhibiting beneficial bacteria, revealing a complex tripartite relationship that could inform new approaches to managing soil-borne diseases.