Genomic studies of the amphibian-killing fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, [Bd]) identified three highly divergent genetic lineages, only one of which has a global distribution. Bd strains within these linages show variable genomic content due to differential loss of heterozygosity and recombination. The current quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocol to detect the fungus f...

Phytophthora capsici is a pathogen on several economically important crops including pepper. The fungus attacks the roots, stems, leaves and fruit of the plant. Experiments were conducted to determine environmental conditions that may affect infection of pepper fruit by zoospores of P. capsici. Two techniques were used to inoculate the mature green pepper fruit. First, the blossom end of the fr...

Ulva zoospores preferentially settle on N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) producing marine bacterial biofilms. To investigate whether AHL signal molecules also affect the success and rate of zoospore germination in addition to zoospore attraction, the epiphytic bacteria associated with mature Ulva linza were characterized and bacterial isolates representative of this community tested for the abili...

PsSAK1, a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase from Phytophthora sojae, plays an important role in host infection and zoospore viability. However, the downstream mechanism of PsSAK1 remains unclear. In this study, the 3'-tag digital gene expression (DGE) profiling method was applied to sequence the global transcriptional sequence of PsSAK1-silenced mutants during the cysts stage and 1.5 h aft...

Rates of growth and reproduction of the pathogens that cause emerging infectious diseases can be affected by local environmental conditions; these conditions can thus influence the strength and nature of disease outbreaks. An understanding of these relationships is important for understanding disease ecology and developing mitigation strategies. Widespread emergence of the fungal disease chytri...

Members of the genera Phytophthora de Bary and Pythium Pringsheim are economically important “fungal-like-organisms” or “pseudofungi” which have been widely studied throughout the world but their taxonomic treatment has been highly controversial. The production of globose oogonia in the sexual reproduction has placed them in the phylum Oomycota. Although members of Oomycota are similar to all f...

Cucumber Necrosis Virus (CNV) is a member of the genus Tombusvirus and has a monopartite positive-sense RNA genome packaged in a T=3 icosahedral particle. CNV is transmitted in nature via zoospores of the fungus Olpidium bornovanus. CNV undergoes a conformational change upon binding to the zoospore that is required for transmission, and specific polysaccharides on the zoospore surface have been...

ABSTRACT A microbioassay was developed for the discovery of compounds that inhibit Phytophthora spp. This assay uses a 96-well format for high-throughput capability and a standardized method for quantitation of initial zoospore concentrations for maximum reproducibility. Zoospore suspensions were quantifiable between 0.7 and 1.5 x 10(5) zoospores per ml using percent transmittance (620 nm). Sub...

Members of the genera Phytophthora de Bary and Pythium Pringsheim are economically important “fungal-like-organisms” or “pseudofungi” which have been widely studied throughout the world but their taxonomic treatment has been highly controversial. The production of globose oogonia in the sexual reproduction has placed them in the phylum Oomycota. Although members of Oomycota are similar to all f...