• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.551-571
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• 2022

Xylella fastidiosa is xylem-limited bacterium capable of infecting a wide range of host plants, resulting in Pierce's disease in grapevine, citrus variegated chlorosis, olive quick decline syndrome, peach phony disease, plum leaf scald, alfalfa dwarf, margin necrosis and leaf scorch affecting oleander, coffee, almond, pecan, mulberry, red maple, oak, and other types of cultivated and ornamental plants and forest trees. In the European Union, X. fastidiosa is listed as a quarantine organism. Since its first outbreak in the Apulia region of southern Italy in 2013 where it caused devastating disease on Olea europaea (called olive leaf scorch and quick decline), X. fastidiosa continued to spread and successfully established in some European countries (Corsica and PACA in France, Balearic Islands, Madrid and Comunitat Valenciana in Spain, and Porto in Portugal). The most recent data for Europe indicates that X. fastidiosa is present on 174 hosts, 25 of which were newly identified in 2021 (with further five hosts discovered in other parts of the world in the same year). From the six reported subspecies of X. fastidiosa worldwide, four have been recorded in European countries (fastidiosa, multiplex, pauca, and sandyi). Currently confirmed X. fastidiosa vector species are Philaenus spumarius, Neophilaenus campestris, and Philaenus italosignus, whereby only P. spumarius (which has been identified as the key vector in Apulia, Italy) is also present in Americas. X. fastidiosa control is currently based on pathogen-free propagation plant material, eradication, territory demarcation, and vector control, as well as use of resistant plant cultivars and bactericidal treatments.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11.1-11.10
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• 2021

Coronavirus causes an infectious disease in various species and crosses the species barriers leading to the outbreak of zoonotic diseases. Due to the respiratory diseases are mainly caused in humans and viruses are replicated and excreted through the respiratory tract, the nasal fluid and sputum are mainly used for diagnosis. Early diagnosis of coronavirus plays an important role in preventing its spread and is essential for quarantine policies. For rapid decision and prompt triage of infected host, the immunochromatographic assay (ICA) has been widely used for point of care testing. However, when the ICA is applied to an expectorated sputum in which antigens are present, the viscosity of sputum interferes with the migration of the antigens on the test strip. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to use a mucolytic agent without affecting the antigens. In this study, we combined known mucolytic agents to lower the viscosity of sputum and applied that to alpha and beta coronavirus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), respectively, spiked in sputum to find optimal pretreatment conditions. The pretreatment method using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and BSA was suitable for ICA diagnosis of sputum samples spiked with PEDV and MERS-CoV. This sensitive assay for the detection of coronavirus in sputum provides an useful information for the diagnosis of pathogen in low respiratory tract.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.197-206
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• 2016

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of considerable genetic diversity with varying pathogenicity. Initially, we found that the strain M7 was far less pathogenic than the strain Lm850658 though both are serovar 4a strains belonging to the lineage III. Comparative genomic approaches were then attempted to decipher the genetic basis that might govern the strain-dependent pathotypes. There are 2,761 coding sequences of 100% nucleotide identity between the two strains, accounting for 95.7% of the total genes in Lm850658 and 92.7% in M7. Lm850658 contains 33 specific genes, including a novel 20K prophage whereas strain M7 has 130 specific genes, including two large prophages (38K and 44K). To examine the roles of these specific prophages in pathogenicity, the 20K and 38K prophages were deleted from their respective strains. There were virtually no differences of pathogenicity between the deletion mutants and their parent strains, although some putative virulent factors like VirB4 are present in the 20K region or holin-lysin in the 38K region. In silico PCR analysis of 29 listeria genomes show that only strain SLCC2540 has the same 18 bp integration hotspot as Lm850658, whereas the sequence identity of their 20K prophages is very low (21.3%). The 38K and 44K prophages are located in two other different hotspots and are conserved in low virulent strains M7, HCC23, and L99. In conclusion, the 20K and 38K prophages of L. monocytogenes serovar 4a strains Lm850658 and M7 are not related to virulence but contribute to genetic diversity.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2013

In this study, the disinfectant efficacy of Aqua farmsafe$^{(R)}$, composed of didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and yucca extract was evaluated against Salmonella typhimurium and fish pathogens. Determination of the anti-microbial or anti-viral efficacy of the disinfectant was based on Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency Regulation No. 2011-26, Korea. Anti-bacterial efficacy test by broth dilution method was used to determine the lowest effective dilution of the disinfectant following exposure to test bacteria for 30 min at $4^{\circ}C$. Aqua farmsafe and test bacteria or virus were diluted with distilled water (DW), standard hard water (SW) or organic matter dilution (OM) according to treatment condition. Under the our results, disinfectant efficacy of Aqua farmsafe$^{(R)}$ possesses 30~40 fold against fish pathogens including bacteria and virus compared to that on animal pathogenic bacteria, S. typhimurim. As the efficacy of Aqua farmsafe$^{(R)}$ against fish pathogen was investigated in vitro, a controlled field trial is required to determine whether the use of Aqua farmsafe$^{(R)}$ will be able to reduce fish diseases.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2017

Recently fire blight occurred in the Republic of Korea and eradication program for the disease has been executed since then. Specificity and detection sensitivity of the 2 antibody-based diagnostic strips to Korean isolates of Erwinia amylovora (Ea) and their application for on-site diagnosis were evaluated in this study. Ea AgriStrip, a commercial diagnostic kit, and EB strip, developed in this study, reacted positively to the all tested Korean Ea strains and also to most of Erwinia pyrifoliae (Ep) strains causing black shoot blight. They reacted negatively to all Pusedomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) strains that cause shoot blight on apple. Detection sensitivity was similar between the 2 strips. For on-site diagnosis, the two strips reacted positively only to the extractions of the fire-blighted samples on all fire blight occurred orchards except one orchard at which on-site diagnosis was carried out at winter time. In addition, they reacted positively to the black-shoot blighted extractions from the black shoot blight occurred apple orchard. These results suggest that both EB strip and Ea AgriStrip would be useful for on-site diagnosis of fire blight in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 2013

Avian paramyxovirus (APMV) type 4 and 6 were isolated during an avian influenza (AI) surveillance program of wild birds. This study also conducted experimental infection of wild-bird-origin APMV type 4 and 6 in specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens to study pathogenicity and transmission within domestic flocks. In addition, serological prevalence data of APMV type 4 and 6 in domestic fowls was conducted with chicken sera collected from 2007 to 2009 in order to understand infection status. The results of the animal experiment showed that APMV type 4 and 6 had the ability to infect chickens with sero-conversion and to transmit the virus from infected birds to contacted birds, but showed low pathogenicity. Serological tests revealed that APMV type 4 was widespread in the poultry industry, especially in layer flocks, but the positive rate for APMV type 6 was very low. This study concluded that wild bird-origin APMV type 4 and 6 could infect the chickens by inter-species transmission and the seroprevalence of APMV type 4 was quite high in Korean poultry. However, since almost all the chicken flocks had a high level of antibody titer against APMV type 1, there was possibility of cross reaction between APMV type 1 and 4, which made the interpretations more complicated. In order to understand infection status in the natural environment, additional study is necessary regarding the seroprevalence of APMV type 4 and 6 in the wild bird population.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.158-167
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• 2016

A pathogen that causes a new disease on green pumpkin in the nursery and the field was characterized and identified. Symptoms of the disease on green pumpkin were water soaking lesions and spots with strong yellow halo on leaf, brown lesion on flower, and yellow spot on fruit. The bacterial isolates from the leaf spot were pathogenic on the 8 curcubitaceae crop plants, green pumpkin, figleaf gourd, wax gourd, young pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, melon, and oriental melon, whereas they did not cause the disease on sweet pumpkin and watermelon. They were Gram-negative, rod shape with polar flagella, fluorescent on King's B agar and LOPAT group 1a by LOPAT test. Their Biolog substrate utilization patterns were similar to Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae's in Biolog database. Phylogenetic trees with 16S rRNA gene sequences and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) with nucleotide sequences of 4 housekeeping genes, gapA, gltA, gyrB, rpoD and those of P. syringae complex strains in the Plant Associated and Environmental Microbes Database (PAMDB) showed that the green pumpkin isolates formed in the same clade with P. syringae pv. syringae strains. The clade in MLST tree was in the genomospecies 1 group. The phenotypic and genotypic characteristics suggested that the isolates from green pumpkin lesion were P. syringae pv. syringae.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.11a
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• pp.41-41
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• 2015

Oomycetes belong to the kingdom Straminipila, a remarkably diverse group which includes brown algae and planktonic diatoms, although they have previously been classified under the kingdom Fungi. These organisms have evolved both saprophytic and pathogenic lifestyles, and more than 60% of the known species are pathogens on plants, the majority of which are classified into the order Peronosporales (includes downy mildews, Phytophthora, and Pythium). Recent phylogenetic investigations based on DNA sequences have revealed that the diversity of oomycetes has been largely underestimated. Although morphology is the most valuable criterion for their identification and diversity, morphological species identification is time-consuming and in some groups very difficult, especially for non-taxonomists. DNA barcoding is a fast and reliable tool for identification of species, enabling us to unravel the diversity and distribution of oomycetes. Accurate species determination of plant pathogens is a prerequisite for their control and quarantine, and further for assessing their potential threat to crops. The mitochondrial cox2 gene has been widely used for identification, taxonomy and phylogeny of various oomycete groups. However, recently the cox1 gene was proposed as a DNA barcode marker instead, together with ITS rDNA. To determine which out of cox1 or cox2 is best suited as universal oomycete barcode, we compared these two genes in terms of (1) PCR efficiency for 31 representative genera, as well as for historic herbarium specimens, and (2) in terms of sequence polymorphism, intra- and interspecific divergence. The primer sets for cox2 successfully amplified all oomycete genera tested, while cox1 failed to amplify three genera. In addition, cox2 exhibited higher PCR efficiency for historic herbarium specimens, providing easier access to barcoding type material. In addition, cox2 yielded higher species identification success, with higher interspecific and lower intraspecific divergences than cox1. Therefore, cox2 is suggested as a partner DNA barcode along with ITS rDNA instead of cox1. Including the two barcoding markers, ITS rDNA and cox2 mtDNA, the multi-locus phylogenetic analyses were performed to resolve two complex clades, Bremia lactucae (lettuce downy mildew) and Peronospora effuse (spinach downy mildew) at the species level and to infer evolutionary relationships within them. The approaches discriminated all currently accepted species and revealed several previously unrecognized lineages, which are specific to a host genus or species. The sequence polymorphisms were useful to develop a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for detection of airborne inoculum of B. lactucae and P. effusa. Specificity tests revealed that the qPCR assay is specific for detection of each species. This assay is sensitive, enabling detection of very low levels of inoculum that may be present in the field. Early detection of the pathogen, coupled with knowledge of other factors that favor downy mildew outbreaks, may enable disease forecasting for judicious timing of fungicide applications.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.211-219
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• 2016

For determining the prevalence of major enteric pathogens, clinical examination and etiological diagnosis were carried out on 75 Korean pig farms. Enteric disease-suspected signs were observed in 90.7% of the farms and the incidence and severity were higher in younger age groups of the pigs. Five of seven pathogens were detected in 375 fecal samples collected from the 75 farms, and the farm-level prevalence of porcine rotavirus group A (PoRVA), pathogenic Escherichia (E.) coli, Lawsonia (L.) intracelluraris, Salmonella spp., and Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae was 54.7%, 54.7%, 16.0%, 10.7% and 2.7%, respectively. PoRVA was extensively infected in suckling and weaning pig groups. The prevalence of pathogenic E. coli was highest in suckling period, and after the period, it exhibited a tendency to decrease. Salmonella spp. and L. intracelluraris were detected in all feeding groups of pigs in a ratio of 1.3~6.7%. B. hyodysenteriae was detected in 1.3~2.7% of growing and fattening pig groups but not detected in suckling and weaning pig groups. At least one or more pathogens were detected in 30.1% of 375 fecal samples. Among these, 25.0% or 5.1% of cases were single or mixed infection. Enteric disease signs of the pigs were significantly co-related with the detection of PoRVA, pathogenic E. coli or Salmonella spp. (P<0.01) but not with L. intracelluraris or B. hyodysenteriae (P>0.05). Conclusively, it will be expected that these data obtained in this study are very useful for subsequent studies and prevention strategies for swine enteric disease in Korean pig farms.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.222-228
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• 2020

Erwinia amylovora, a causal bacterium of fire blight disease, is registered as a prohibited quarantine pathogen in Korea. To control the disease, the government should diagnose the disease, dig and bury the host trees when fire blight occurs. Fire blight was the first reported in 43 orchards of Anseong, Cheonan, and Jecheon in 2015, and 42.9 ha of host trees were eradicated. However, the disease spread to eleven cities, so that 348 orchards and 260.4 ha of host trees were eradicated until 2019. Fire blight of Asian pear occurred mainly in the southern part of Gyeonggi, and Chungnam province, on average of 29±9.2 orchards per year. And the age of the infected trees were mostly 20-30 years old. In apple trees, the disease occurred mainly in the northern part of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Chungbuk province, on average of 41±57.6 orchards per year, increased highly in 2018 and 2019. The age of infected apple trees were under 20 years old. Therefore, because the disease spread rapidly in young apple trees, spraying control agents to the trees in a timely manner and removing infected trees quickly are important to prevent the spread of fire blight in the orchard of immature trees.