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Disease Control Strategies (disease + control_strategy)
Selected AbstractsNovel strategies targeting pathogen transmission reduction in insect vectors: Tsetse-transmitted trypanosomiasis controlENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007Brian L. WEISS Abstract Insect vectors are essential for the transmission of important human diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas and sleeping sickness. Insects are also responsible for the transmission of agricultural diseases that affect livestock and crops. Traditionally, control of the vector populations has been an effective disease management strategy. Recently, vector control strategies have been fortified by research in insect biology and in insect,pathogen interactions as well as by the development of transgenic technologies. In addition to insect population reduction methods, disease control via selective elimination of pathogens in insects can now be explored. Here we explore the tsetse vectors of African trypanosomes and describe the application of recent knowledge gained in their symbiotic, reproductive and vectorial biology to develop novel disease control strategies. [source] Identification and Regulation of Genes from a Biocontrol Strain of Fusarium oxysporumJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 9 2007D. R. Fravel Abstract Differential display with three time points revealed that thiram altered expression of numerous genes in the biocontrol fungus Fusarium oxysporum CS-20. Of the 101 bands purified from the differential display gel, 86 were successfully cloned, and 64 sequenced. Based on nucleic acid sequences, homology to known products was found using BLASTn for 26 sequences and homology to hypothetical proteins was found for six sequences, also from Gibberella zeae. One band (BM1 24-1) showed homology to an ABC transporter from three different fungi. Because of its association with detoxification functions, the ABC transporter was selected for further study. Mycelia of CS-20 were exposed to 25 ,g active ingredient (a.i.) thiram in liquid culture for various times from 0 to 8 h. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to evaluate gene expression. At 30 min after treatment with thiram, the ABC transporter was upregulated 20- to 25-fold relative to the control treatment. The ABC transporter was upregulated 15-fold at 1 h after treatment and 10-fold at 2 h. At 8 h after treatment, there was no difference between treated and non-treated for expression of the ABC transporter. Transcription of the gene encoding EST BM1 24-1 is induced in response to thiram treatment and may function in providing resistance in F. oxysporum isolate CS-20 to fungicides and other toxins. Tolerance to toxins may be critical to the successful inclusion of CS-20 in disease control strategies in cropping systems. [source] Relative Abundance and Species Composition of Gram-Negative, Aerobic Bacteria Associated with the Gut of Juvenile White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei Reared in Oligotrophic Well Water and Eutrophic Pond WaterJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 2 2000Shaun M. Moss Gut bacteria may contribute significantly to the growth and survival of cultured shrimp, although little is known about factors that affect bacterial community structure in shrimp guts. The objective of this study was to determine the abundance and species composition of gut bacteria in juvenile white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei reared in two different environments. Eight 120-L tanks were stocked at a density of 8 shrimphank. Two treatments were tested for 10 d and consisted of tanks receiving flow-through water from one of two sources: 1) well water pumped from a sea-water aquifer (Well treatment), and 2) pond water pumped from an intensive shrimp pond (Pond treatment). Shrimp mid- and hindguts were excised on days 1, 3, 6, and 10 for enumeration of gram-negative, aerobic bacteria by quantifying colony-forming units (CFU) using standard microbiological plating techniques. Identification of bacterial isolates was made using the BiologaŽ GN Microplate system. Bacterial numbers were significantly greater (P > 0.05) in Well shrimp than in Pond shrimp on days 1 and 3. Following day 3, a decrease in bacterial numbers occurred in the Well shrimp, and no significant differences between treatments were observed on days 6 or 10. Guts from Well shrimp were dominated by Vibrio and Aero-monas, and these two genera accounted for 80,851 of the bacteria on each sampling day. Guts from Pond shrimp exhibited a greater bacterial diversity and were dominated by Vibrio, Aeromonas, and Pseudomonas. Flavobacterium were identified in the guts of Pond shrimp on days 3 and 10, but were not identified in any of the Well shrimp. A greater understanding of gut bacteria-shrimp interactions could lead to increased production and profitability for shrimp farmers through the development of more cost-effective feeds and novel disease control strategies. [source] From bacterial avirulence genes to effector functions via the hrp delivery system: an overview of 25 years of progress in our understanding of plant innate immunityMOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009JOHN W. MANSFIELD SUMMARY Cloning the first avirulence (avr) gene has led not only to a deeper understanding of gene-for-gene interactions in plant disease, but also to fundamental insights into the suppression of basal defences against microbial attack. This article (focusing on Pseudomonas syringae) charts the development of ideas and research progress over the 25 years following the breakthrough achieved by Staskawicz and coworkers. Advances in gene cloning technology underpinned the identification of both avr and hrp genes, the latter being required for the activation of the defensive hypersensitive reaction (HR) and pathogenicity. The delivery of Avr proteins through the type III secretion machinery encoded by hrp gene clusters was demonstrated, and the activity of the proteins inside plant cells as elicitors of the HR was confirmed. Key roles for avr genes in pathogenic fitness have now been established. The rebranding of Avr proteins as effectors, proteins that suppress the HR and cell wall-based defences, has led to the ongoing search for their targets, and is generating new insights into the co-ordination of plant resistance against diverse microbes. Bioinformatics-led analysis of effector gene distribution in genomes has provided a remarkable view of the interchange of effectors and also their functional domains, as the arms race of attack and defence drives the evolution of microbial pathogenicity. The application of our accrued knowledge for the development of disease control strategies is considered. [source] A Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for the Detection of Polyscytalum pustulans, the Cause of Skin Spot Disease of PotatoJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009A. K. Lees Abstract Skin spot disease of potato caused by the pathogen Polyscytalum pustulans is likely to become more important with the withdrawal of 2-aminobutane as a fungicide, and new methods of control will need to be found. As part of a disease control strategy, it will be necessary to study the disease in more detail, to utilize host resistance and to identify stocks where problems are likely to arise. Existing methods for the detection and quantification of P. pustulans are time-consuming and require specific expertise. Real-time PCR assays have been developed for many pathogens of potato and have subsequently been used as tools for the study of the epidemiology and control of disease. The development of a real-time PCR assay for the detection and quantification of P. pustulans is described. The specificity of the assay was demonstrated and detection was shown to be reliable at levels as low as 20,250 fg/,l DNA, (equivalent to 60,680 pg DNA/g) in soil and on symptomless tubers at attogram (ag) levels. These values are in line with previously developed tests. [source] | ||||||||||