Medfly Ceratitis capitata as Potential Vector for Fire Blight Pathogen Erwinia amylovora: Survival and Transmission

Monitoring the ability of bacterial plant pathogens to survive in insects is required for elucidating unknown aspects of their epidemiology and for designing appropriate control strategies. Erwinia amylovora is a plant pathogenic bacterium that causes fire blight, a devastating disease in apple and pear commercial orchards. Studies on fire blight spread by insects have mainly focused on pollinating agents, such as honeybees. However, the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), one of the most damaging fruit pests worldwide, is also common in pome fruit orchards. The main objective of the study was to investigate whether E. amylovora can survive and be transmitted by the medfly. Our experimental results show: i) E. amylovora can survive for at least 8 days inside the digestive tract of the medfly and until 28 days on its external surface, and ii) medflies are able to transmit the bacteria from inoculated apples to both detached shoots and pear plants, being the pathogen recovered from lesions in both cases. This is the first report on E. amylovora internalization and survival in/on C. capitata, as well as the experimental transmission of the fire blight pathogen by this insect. Our results suggest that medfly can act as a potential vector for E. amylovora, and expand our knowledge on the possible role of these and other insects in its life cycle

Erwinia amylovora: Características generales. métodos de diagnóstico de la enfermedad e identificación de E. amylovora

El género Erwinia, que debe su nombre a la memoria del fitopatólogo Erwin F. Smith, se creó inicialmente para agrupar a las enterobacterias asociadas a las plantas, Gram negativas, bacilares, no formadoras de esporas y móviles (Winslow et al., 1920). Por ello, los miembros de este género incluían además enterobacterias saprofitas ecológicamente asociadas a plantas, así como patógenos oportunistas del hombre y los animales (Brenner, 1984). Esta heterogeneidad de especies fue la causa de que el género Erwinia fuera objeto de varias reclasificaciones. Finalmente, gracias al avance de las técnicas moleculares, las especies del género Erwinia se clasificaron en cuatro grupos filogenéticos basados en la comparación de secuencias del ADN ribosómico 16S (Hauben et al., 1998). El grupo I (género Erwinia) representa a las verdaderas erwinias e incluye diversas especies, que producen necrosis o marchitamientos en plantas, o que pueden ser epifitas. Erwinia amylovora es la especie tipo de este género. El grupo II (actuales géneros Pectobacterium y Dickeya) agrupa especies que originan podredumbres blandas en un amplio rango de hospedadores debido a su gran actividad pectolítica. El grupo III (actual género Brenneria y la especie Dickeya paradisiaca) incluye varias especies que afectan a plantas leñosas produciendo generalmente chancros y exudados. El grupo IV (género Pantoea) contiene especies que son saprofitas o patógenos más o menos frecuentemente oportunistas de plantas, animales y del hombre. Entre ellas destaca la antigua Erwinia herbicola, actualmente denominada Pantoea agglomerans, frecuentemente asociada en rosáceas a E. amylovora

Differential expression of pathogenicity- and virulence-related genes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri under copper stress

In this study, we used real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to evaluate the expression of 32 genes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri related to pathogenicity and virulence that are also involved in copper detoxification. Nearly all of the genes were up-regulated, including copA and copB. Two genes homologous to members of the type II secretion system (xcsH and xcsC) and two involved in the degradation of plant cell wall components (pglA and pel) were the most expressed in response to an elevated copper concentration. The type II secretion system (xcs operon) and a few homologues of proteins putatively secreted by this system showed enhanced expression when the bacteria were exposed to a high concentration of copper sulfate. The enhanced expression of the genes of secretion II system during copper stress suggests that this pathway may have an important role in the adaptative response of X. axonopodis pv. citri to toxic compounds. These findings highlight the potential role of these genes in attenuating the toxicity of certain metals and could represent an important means of bacterial resistance against chemicals used to control diseases

Non-invasive ventilation in obesity hypoventilation syndrome without severe obstructive sleep apnoea

Background Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is an effective form of treatment in patients with obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) who have concomitant severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, there is a paucity of evidence on the efficacy of NIV in patients with OHS without severe OSA. We performed a multicentre randomised clinical trial to determine the comparative efficacy of NIV versus lifestyle modification (control group) using daytime arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) as the main outcome measure. Methods Between May 2009 and December 2014 we sequentially screened patients with OHS without severe OSA. Participants were randomised to NIV versus lifestyle modification and were followed for 2 months. Arterial blood gas parameters, clinical symptoms, health-related quality of life assessments, polysomnography, spirometry, 6-min walk distance test, blood pressure measurements and healthcare resource utilisation were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using intention-to-treat analysis. Results A total of 365 patients were screened of whom 58 were excluded. Severe OSA was present in 221 and the remaining 86 patients without severe OSA were randomised. NIV led to a significantly larger improvement in PaCO2 of -6 (95% CI -7.7 to -4.2) mm Hg versus -2.8 (95% CI -4.3 to -1.3) mm Hg, (p<0.001) and serum bicarbonate of -3.4 (95% CI -4.5 to -2.3) versus -1 (95% CI -1.7 to -0.2 95% CI) mmol/L (p<0.001). PaCO2 change adjusted for NIV compliance did not further improve the inter-group statistical significance. Sleepiness, some health-related quality of life assessments and polysomnographic parameters improved significantly more with NIV than with lifestyle modification. Additionally, there was a tendency towards lower healthcare resource utilisation in the NIV group. Conclusions NIV is more effective than lifestyle modification in improving daytime PaCO2, sleepiness and polysomnographic parameters. Long-term prospective studies are necessary to determine whether NIV reduces healthcare resource utilisation, cardiovascular events and mortality

Survival in amoeba: a major selection pressure on the presence of bacterial copper and zinc resistance determinants?: identification of a "copper pathogenicity island"

The presence of metal resistance determinants in bacteria usually is attributed to geological or anthropogenic metal contamination in different environments or associated with the use of antimicrobial metals in human healthcare or in agriculture. While this is certainly true, we hypothesize that protozoan predation and macrophage killing are also responsible for selection of copper/zinc resistance genes in bacteria. In this review, we outline evidence supporting this hypothesis, as well as highlight the correlation between metal resistance and pathogenicity in bacteria. In addition, we introduce and characterize the "copper pathogenicity island" identified in Escherichia coli and Salmonella strains isolated from copper- and zinc-fed Danish pigs

Influence of pine or oak wood on the degradation of alachlor and metalaxyl in soil

5 páginas, 3 figurasThe objective of this workwas to study the influence pine or oak wood added to soil as an amendment (5% w/w) had on the degradation rate of two pesticides, alachlor and metalaxyl, with different hydrophobic character. The formation of pesticide metabolites and the soil dehydrogenase activity in non-amended and amended soil samples were also monitored. The degradation of metalaxyl followed first-order kinetics, while the degradation of alachlor followed first-order or biphasic kinetics in the soil samples studied. The results indicated that the degradation rate was slower for metalaxyl than for alachlor, and for both pesticides followed the order: pine amended soil < oak amended soil < non-amended soil. The faster degradation rate in non-amended soilwas attributed to the higher sorption of pesticides by wood amended soils. The alachlor ethane sulfonic acid (ESA), and two metalaxyl metabolites (2-[(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-methoxyacetylamino]-propionic acid and N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-2-methoxy-acetamide) were detected during the incubation period. Soil dehydrogenase activity recorded close values in non-amended and amended soil treated with alachlor, but it was higher in wood amended soil treated with metalaxyl. Pine and oak wood increase the immobilization of the pesticides studied, but they also limit their bioavailability in soil by decreasing their degradation rate in amended soil.This work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and the regional government, the Junta de Castilla-Leon as part of projects CTM2004-00381/TECNO and CSI02A06.Peer reviewe

Survival Strategy of Erwinia amylovora against Copper: Induction of the Viable-but-Nonculturable State

Copper compounds, widely used to control plant-pathogenic bacteria, have traditionally been employed against fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora. However, recent studies have shown that some phytopathogenic bacteria enter into the viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) state in the presence of copper. To determine whether copper kills E. amylovora or induces the VBNC state, a mineral medium without copper or supplemented with 0.005, 0.01, or 0.05 mM Cu(2+) was inoculated with 10(7) CFU/ml of this bacterium and monitored over 9 months. Total and viable cell counts were determined by epifluorescence microscopy using the LIVE/DEAD kit and by flow cytometry with 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride and SYTO 13. Culturable cells were counted on King's B nonselective solid medium. Changes in the bacterial morphology in the presence of copper were observed by scanning electron microscopy. E. amylovora entered into the VBNC state at all three copper concentrations assayed, much faster when the copper concentration increased. The addition of different agents which complex copper allowed the resuscitation (restoration of culturability) of copper-induced VBNC cells. Finally, copper-induced VBNC cells were virulent only for the first 5 days, while resuscitated cells always regained their pathogenicity on immature fruits over 9 months. These results have shown, for the first time, the induction of the VBNC state in E. amylovora as a survival strategy against copper

Exopolysaccharides favor the survival of Erwinia amylovora under copper stress through different strategies

Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight, a destructive disease of rosaceous plants very difficult to control. We demonstrated that copper, employed to control plant diseases, induces the &quot;viable-but-nonculturable&quot; (VBNC) state in E. amylovora. Moreover, it was previously reported that copper increases production of its main exopolysaccharide (EPS), amylovoran. In this work, the copper-complexing ability of amylovoran and levan, other major EPS of E. amylovora, was demonstrated. Following this, EPS-deficient mutants were used to determine the role of these EPSs in survival of this bacterium in AB mineral medium with copper, compared to their wild type strain and AB without copper. Total, viable and culturable counts of all strains were monitored for six months. With copper, a larger fraction of the viable population of EPS mutants entered into the VBNC state, and earlier than their wild type strain, showing the contribution of both EPSs to long-term survival in a culturable state. Further, we demonstrated that both EPSs can be used as carbon source by E. amylovora under deprivation conditions. Overall, these previously unreported functions of amylovoran and levan provide survival advantages for E. amylovora, which could contribute to its enhanced persistence in nature. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved

ACTA HORTICULTURAE

The role of irrigation water in disseminating Erwinia amylovora is not fully recognized, and the survival of the bacterium in natural water has not been carefully investigated. This risk has been underestimated, since it is generally considered that E. amylovora survives only for a short period in water and its isolation from natural water samples has not been reported. The main goal of this study has been to clarify whether E. amylovora could survive under nutrient starvation conditions usually found in aquatic environments and if it is nonculturable on solid media when recovered from sterile natural water. Infectivity of E. amylovora cells in water was evaluated by using immature pear fruits. Total and viable cell counts were monitored by the Live/Dead viability kit, and culturability by plate counts on King&#39;s B medium. E. amylovora was able to survive in water from different sources showing a long persistence in irrigation water and maintaining its infectivity for green pears. However, a progressive loss of culturability on solid media by 2 to 3 logarithmic units during storage time was observed, the rate at which cells became nonculturable dependent on the type of water used. A significant difference in the time to nonculturability between cells maintained in irrigation water and those kept in deionized water was observed, associated with the content of dissolved compounds, which differ for these two types of water. Since bacterial cells maintained their viability, it seems that the oligotrophic conditions found in natural aquatic environments could allow the survival of the fireblight pathogen. Further, the maintenance of the pathogenicity of E. amylovora supports the possible role of water as a reservoir and vehicle for transmission of this pathogen