Endophytic and rhizospheric bacterial communities isolated from the medicinal plants Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia Authors Carolina Chiellini Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence; Agrobiology and Pedology Research Center, Agricultural Research Council, Florence Isabel Maida Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence Giovanni Emiliani Trees and Timber Institute National Research Council, Florence Alessio Mengoni Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence Stefano Mocali Agrobiology and Pedology Research Center, Agricultural Research Council, Florence Arturo Fabiani Agrobiology and Pedology Research Center, Agricultural Research Council, Florence Sauro Biffi Botanical Garden, Casola Valsenio Valentina Maggini Center for Integrative Medicine, Careggi University Hospital, University of Florence, Florence Luigi Gori Center for Integrative Medicine, Careggi University Hospital, University of Florence, Florence Alfredo Vannacci Center for Integrative Medicine, Careggi University Hospital, University of Florence, Florence Eugenia Gallo Center for Integrative Medicine, Careggi University Hospital, University of Florence, Florence Fabio Firenzuoli Center for Integrative Medicine, Careggi University Hospital, University of Florence, Florence Renato Fani Laboratory of Microbial and Molecular Evolution. Department of Biology University of Florence Keywords: Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, rhizosphere, medicinal plants, endophytes Abstract In this work we analyzed the composition and structure of cultivable bacterial communities isolated from the stem/leaf and root compartments of two medicinal plants, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench and Echinacea angustifolia (DC.) Hell, grown in the same soil, as well as the bacterial community from their rhizospheric soils. Molecular PCR-based techniques were applied to cultivable bacteria isolated from the three compartments of the two plants. The results showed that the two plants and their respective compartments were characterized by different communities, indicating a low degree of strain sharing and a strong selective pressure within plant tissues. Pseudomonas was the most highly represented genus, together with Actinobacteria and Bacillus spp. The presence of distinct bacterial communities in different plant species and among compartments of the same plant species could account for the differences in the medicinal properties of the two plants. [Int Microbiol 2014; 17(3):165-174]Keywords: Echinacea purpurea · Echinacea angustifolia · rhizosphere · medicinal plants · endophytes Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 17 No. 3 (2014) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
