• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제36권2호
• /
• pp.179-184
• /
• 2020

A leaf spot pathogen Alternaria sp. was recovered from jimson weed, tomato, parsley, and coriander collected during surveys of blight diseases on Solanaceae and Apiaceae in Algeria. This species produced large conidial body generating long apical beaks that tapered gradually from a wide base to a narrow tip and short conidiophores originating directly from the agar surface. This species exhibited morphological traits similar to that reported for Alternaria crassa. The identification of seven strains from different hosts was confirmed by sequence analyses at the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, RNA polymerase second largest subunit, and translation elongation factor 1-alpha loci. Further the pathogen was evaluated on jimson weed, coriander, parsley, and tomato plants, and this fungus was able to cause necrotic lesions on all inoculated plants. A. crassa is reported for the first time as a new species of the Algerian mycoflora and as a new potential pathogen for cultivated hosts.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제33권4호
• /
• pp.351-361
• /
• 2017

Bacterial canker is the largest limiting factor in the cultivation and production of kiwifruit worldwide. Typical symptoms comprise necrotic spots on leaves, canker and dieback on canes and trunks, twig wilting, and blossom necrosis. Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), which is the causal agent of kiwifruit bacterial canker, is divided into four biovars based on multilocus sequence analysis of different genes, additional PCR testing of pathogenic genes (argKtox cluster, cfl, and various effector genes), and biochemical and physiological characterization. Bacterial canker caused by Psa biovar 2 designated Psa2 was detected for the first time on the green-fleshed kiwifruit cultivar Hayward in 1988 and the yellow-fleshed kiwifruit cultivar Hort16A in 2006 in Korea. Psa biovar 3 designated Psa3, responsible for the current global pandemics of kiwifruit bacterial canker, began to appear in Korea in 2011 and caused tremendous economic losses by destroying many vines or orchards of yellow-fleshed kiwifruit cultivars in one or several growing seasons. Bacterial canker epidemics caused by both Psa2 and Psa3 are prevalent in Korea in recent years. In this review, we summarize the symptomatology, etiology, disease cycle, diagnosis, and epidemiology of kiwifruit bacterial canker in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제38권4호
• /
• pp.403-409
• /
• 2022

In biological particles such as Fusarium species, ice nucleation activity (INA) has been observed. Fusarium strains isolated from apple declined trees in Korea were identified with a multilocus sequence analysis using the tef1 and rpb1 genes. Droplet-freezing and tube-freezing assays were used to determine the INA of the strains, using Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae KACC 21200 as a positive control and resulting in seven INA+ fungal strains that were identified as F. tricinctum (KNUF-21-F17, KNUF-21-F18, KNUF-21-F29, KNUF-21-F32, KNUF-21-F38, KNUF-21-F43, and KNUF-21-F44). The effect of Fusarium INA+ KNUF-21-F29 was compared to that of INA- strains on Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Shinma explants. A higher callus formation and no-shoot formation were observed, suggesting that fungal INA could play a role in cold injuries and be a factor to consider in rapid apple decline. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of INA fungal strains isolated in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제30권7호
• /
• pp.974-981
• /
• 2020

Sequence type 410 (ST410) of Escherichia coli is an extraintestinal pathogen associated with multi drug resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the horizontal propagation pathway of a high-risk clone of E. coli ST410 that produces Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). blaKPC-encoding E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates were evaluated, and complete sequencing and comparative analysis of blaKPC-encoding plasmids from E. coli and K. pneumoniae, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, polymerase chain reaction, multilocus sequence typing, and conjugal transfer of plasmids were performed. Whole-genome sequencing was performed for plasmids mediating KPC-2 production in E. coli and K. pneumoniae clinical isolates. Strains E. coli CPEc171209 and K. pneumoniae CPKp171210 were identified as ST410 and ST307, respectively. CPEc171209 harbored five plasmids belonging to serotype O8:H21, which is in the antimicrobial-resistant clade C4/H24. The CPKp171210 isolate harbored three plasmids. Both strains harbored various additional antimicrobial resistance genes. The IncX3 plasmid pECBHS_9_5 harbored blaKPC-2 within a truncated Tn4401a transposon, which also contains blaSHV-182 with duplicated conjugative elements. This plasmid displayed 100% identity with the IncX3 plasmid pKPBHS_10_3 from the K. pneumoniae CPKp171210 ST307 strain. The genes responsible for the conjugal transfer of the IncX3 plasmid included tra/trb clusters and pil genes coding the type IV pilus. ST410 can be transmitted between patients, posing an elevated risk in clinical settings. The emergence of a KPC-producing E. coli strain (ST410) is concerning because the blaKPC-2-bearing plasmids may carry treatment resistance across species barriers. Transgenic translocation occurs among carbapenem-resistant bacteria, which may spread rapidly via horizontal migration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제22권5호
• /
• pp.575-584
• /
• 2012

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that comprises four genetic lineages: I, II, III, and IV. Of these, lineage II is frequently recovered from foods and environments and responsible for the increasing incidence of human listeriosis. In this study, the phylogenetic structure of lineage II was determined through sequencing analysis of the ascB-dapE internalin cluster. Fifteen sequence types proposed by multilocus sequence typing based on nine housekeeping genes were grouped into three distinct sublineages, IIA, IIB, and IIC. Organization of the ascB-dapE internalin cluster could serve as a molecular marker for these sublineages, with inlGHE, inlGC2DE, and inlC2DE for IIA, IIB, and IIC, respectively. These sublineages displayed specific genetic and phenotypic characteristics. IIA and IIC showed a higher frequency of recombination (${\rho}/{\theta}$). However, recombination events had greater effect (r/m) on IIB, leading to its high nucleotide diversity. Moreover, IIA and IIB harbored a wider range of internalin and stress-response genes, and possessed higher nisin tolerance, whereas IIC contained the largest portion of low-virulent strains owing to premature stop codons in inlA. The results of this study indicate that IIA, IIB, and IIC might occupy different ecological niches, and IIB might have a better adaptation to a broad range of environmental niches.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제39권4호
• /
• pp.409-416
• /
• 2023

Bacterial leaf blight of carrots caused by Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae (Xhc) is an important worldwide seed-borne disease. In 2012 and 2013, symptoms similar to bacterial leaf blight were found in carrot farms in Jeju Island, Korea. The phenotypic characteristics of the Korean isolation strains were similar to the type strain of Xhc. Pathogenicity showed symptoms on the 14th day after inoculation on carrot plants. Identification by genetic method was multi-position sequencing of the isolated strain JJ2001 was performed using four genes (danK, gyrB, fyuA, and rpoD). The isolated strain was confirmed to be most similar to Xhc M081. Furthermore, in order to analyze the genetic characteristics of the isolated strain, whole genome analysis was performed through the next-generation sequencing method. The draft genome size of JJ2001 is 5,443,372 bp, which contains 63.57% of G + C and has 4,547 open reading frames. Specifically, the classification of pathovar can be confirmed to be similar to that of the host lineage. Plant pathogenic factors and determinants of the majority of the secretion system are conserved in strain JJ2001. This genetic information enables detailed comparative analysis in the pathovar stage of pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, these findings provide basic data for the distribution and diagnosis of Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae, a major plant pathogen that infects carrots in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제32권3호
• /
• pp.182-189
• /
• 2016

Together with the Fusarium graminearum species complex, F. culmorum is a major member of the causal agents of Fusarium head blight on cereals such as wheat, barley and corn. It causes significant yield and quality losses and results in the contamination of grain with mycotoxins that are harmful to humans and animals. In Korea, F. culmorum is listed as a quarantine fungal species since it has yet to be found in the country. In this paper, we report that two isolates (J1 and J2) of F. culmorum were collected from the air at a rice paddy field in Korea. Species identification was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis using multilocus sequence data derived from five genes encoding translation elongation factor, histone H3, phosphate permease, a reductase, and an ammonia ligase and by morphological comparison with reference strains. Both diagnostic PCR and chemical analysis confirmed that these F. culmorum isolates had the capacity to produce nivalenol, the trichothecene mycotoxin, in rice substrate. In addition, both isolates were pathogenic on wheat heads and corn stalks. This is the first report on the occurrence of F. culmorum in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제34권4호
• /
• pp.269-285
• /
• 2018

Bacterial leaf blight is a major disease of eucalypt, especially under nursery conditions. Different bacterial species have been associated with the disease in several countries, and despite its importance worldwide, it is not clear to date whether similar disease symptoms are caused by the same or by different etiological agents. In this study, 43 bacterial strains were isolated from blighted eucalypt leaves collected in different geographic areas of Brazil and inoculated onto a susceptible eucalypt clone. Polyphasic taxonomy, including morphological, physiological, biochemical, molecular, and pathogenicity tests showed that only certain strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis caused symptoms of the disease. Strains varied in their aggressiveness, but no correlation with geographic origin was observed. MLSA-based phylogenetic analysis using concatenated dnaK, fyuA, gyrB and rpoD gene sequences allocated the strains in a well-defined clade, corresponding to Rademarker's group RG 9.6. Inoculation of nineteen plant species belonging to seven botanical families with representative strain LPF 602 showed it to be pathogenic only on Eucalyptus spp, and Corymbia spp. Based on distinct biochemical and pathogenic characteristics that differentiate the eucalypt strains from other pathovars of the X. axonopodis species, here we propose their allocation into the new pathovar X. axonopodis pv. eucalyptorum pv. nov.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제29권1호
• /
• pp.66-78
• /
• 2019

In this study, strain KNU17Pc1 was tested for its antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani AG-1(IA), which causes banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) of maize. KNU17Pc1 was tested further for its broad-spectrum antifungal activity and in vitro plant growth promoting (PGP) traits. In addition, the in vivo effects of KNU17Pc1 on reduction of BLSB severity and seedling growth promotion of two maize cultivars under greenhouse conditions were investigated. On the basis of multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), KNU17Pc1 was confirmed as P. chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca. The study revealed that KNU17Pc1 had strong in vitro antifungal activity and was effective toward all in vitro PGP traits except phosphate solubilization. In this study, for the first time, a strain of P. chlororaphis against Colletotrichum dematium, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis, Fusarium subglutinans and Stemphylium lycopersici has been reported. Further biochemical studies showed that KNU17Pc1 was able to produce both types of phenazine derivatives, PCA and 2-OH-PCA. In addition, solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) analysis identified 13 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the TSB culture of KNU17Pc1, 1-undecene being the most abundant volatile. Moreover, for the first time, Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxan (D4), dimethyl disulfide, 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene and 1-undecene were detected in P. chlororaphis. Furthermore, this study reported for the first time the effectiveness of P. chlororaphis to control BLSB of maize. Hence, further studies are necessary to test the effectiveness of KNU17Pc1 under different environmental conditions so that it can be exploited further for biocontrol and plant growth promotion.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제74권4호
• /
• pp.187-190
• /
• 2013

We report a rare case of lung disease caused by Mycobacterium lentiflavum in a previously healthy woman. A 54-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to chronic cough and sputum. A computed tomography scan of the chest revealed bilateral bronchiectasis with bronchiolitis in the right middle lobe and the lingular division of the left upper lobe. Nontuberculous mycobacteria were isolated twice from three expectorated sputum specimens. All isolates were identified as M. lentiflavum by multilocus sequence analysis based on rpoB, hsp65, and 16S rRNA fragments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of M. lentiflavum lung disease in an immunocompetent adult in Korea.