Identification and control of bacterial contaminants from Ilex dumosa nodal segments culture in a temporal immersion bioreactor system using 16S rDNA analysis

Endogenous bacterial contaminants isolated from infected cultures of Ilex dumosa nodal segments were identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter sp. using 16S rDNA analysis. A range of antibiotics with different mechanism of actions and the commercial biocide PPM[trade mark sign] were tested for their capacity to repress the growth of Gram negative bacteria grown in liquid medium during the establishment phase of temporal immersion systems. The best results were obtained with the addition of 0.5 mg ml⁻¹ cefotaxime to the culture media obtaining 100% of uncontaminated cultures without suppress of shoot growth.