Detection and identification methods and new tests as developed and used in the framework of cost 873 for bacteria pathogenic to stone fruits and nuts

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap), the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almond, is regulated as a quarantine pathogen in the European Union and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Xap can have an epiphytic phase and/or be latent and, consequently, it can be transmitted by different types of plant material. Effective quarantine measures require specific, sensitive and rapid methods to detect Xap in propagative material or new reservoirs. Laborious and time-consuming methods for the diagnosis of Xap are recommended in the current EPPO standard protocol. However, new several pathogen-specific PCR and quantitative realtime PCR assays have been developed that enable direct detection of Xap in symptomatic and symptomless plant samples. A concise resource of current methods for Xap detection and identification, based on assessment and development activities within the framework of COST 873, is presented

Updated Genome Sequence and Annotation for the Full Genome of Pseudomonas protegens CHA0.

Minor differences in the previously obtained genome of Pseudomonas protegens CHA0 were detected after resequencing the strain. Based on this, the genome size slightly increased. Additionally, we performed a manual annotation of genes involved in biocontrol and insect pathogenicity. This annotation version will be the basis for upcoming genome studies

Transcanal Endoscopic Management of Cholesteatoma.

A detailed and comprehensive discussion of transcanal endoscopic management of cholesteatoma is presented. After a presentation of the anatomy of the area, the rationale, advantages and limitations, technique, and long-term results of each technique are presented. A case presentation follows each technique. Techniques presented are: endoscopic transcanal management of limited cholesteatoma, endoscopic open cavity management of cholesteatoma, and expanded transcanal access to middle ear and petrous apex

Molecular typing of Dutch isolates of Xanthomonas arboricola pathovar pruni isolated from ornamental cherry laurel

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) has been found in several cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) nurseries in the Netherlands, causing leaf spot. As no information is available yet about the epidemiology of this quarantine bacterium in cherry laurel, molecular typing of Xap isolates can considerably improve our understanding of pathogen spread between various cherry laurel production systems in different regions of the Netherlands and pathogen relatedness among different disease outbreaks. In this study, the genotypic diversity within a population of 25 Xap isolates isolated from different cherry laurel cultivars grown in different locations in the Netherlands between 2008-2010, was assessed using Multiple-locus variable-number analysis (MLVA). The identity of these Xap isolates was initially determined based on the EPPO standard PM 7/64. Confirmation of the identity of these Xap isolates was additionally achieved with diverse methodologies, including gyrase subunit B (gyrB) sequence typing, BOXand ERIC-PCR, AFLP, and Xap-specific PCR’s: one based on the previously described Pagani primers (2004) (conventional-PCR and its TaqMan-PCR variant) and one based on the recently described Pothier primers (2011c). Based on the results of the MLVA analysis, the Dutch population of Xap isolates could be divided into two groups; however no correlation with the geographical origin or any other character of these isolates could be established. Additionally, based on colony morphology, a panel of 5 look-a-likes were isolated from symptomatic leaves of P. laurocerasus which reacted in the Xap-specific PCR described by Pagani (2004) but that did not react in the Xap-specific PCR described by Pothier et al. (2011c). Further characterisation of these look-a-like isolates with AFLP, BOXand ERIC-PCR, and gyrB sequencing showed that the Xap-specific PCR described by Pagani does not discriminate between Xap and the look-a-like isolates. Similarly to Pagani PCR, the performance of a pathogenicity test with a pure culture of the isolate was not always discriminative between Xap and the look-a-like isolates, unraveling a complexity in Xanthomonas pathogenicity. Therefore, in routine screening based on the EPPO standard PM 7/64, complementary techniques such as BOX- ERIC-PCR, gyrB sequencing, Xap-specific PCR described by Pothier (2011c), MLVA and AFLP should be used to obtain a reliable diagnosis of Xap and avoid false positive results

Dépôt par ablation laser UV nanoseconde pour la réalisation de composants Télécom

Devant la multiplication des standards et des normes de systèmes de télécommunications sans fil, il apparaît un besoin important de composants accordables. Diverses solutions peuvent être envisagées parmi lesquelles, l'introduction de nouveaux matériaux et/ou de nouvelles structures, Micro-systèmes Electro-Mécaniques (MEMS-RF), capables de modifier les propriétés électriques des composants qui en sont constitués. Toutes les applications visées font appel à des techniques de conception adaptées, nécessitant la réalisation de filins minces, aux propriétés électriques et mécaniques parfaitement contrôlées. C'est pourquoi, le procédé de dépôt par ablation laser est un bon candidat notamment car il peut s'intégrer dans les chaînes de fabrication micro-électronique. L'étude que nous développons concerne la réalisation de composants passifs hyperfréquences accordables en utilisant des techniques basées, sur l'élaboration par ablation laser W nanoseconde (KrF 248 nm), d'une part d'hétérostructures (bi et tri-couches) de matériaux ferroélectrique Ba$_{2/3}$Sr$_{1/3}$TiO$_3$ et supraconducteur YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\sigma}$ et d'autre part, de films pour la fabrication de MEMS

Dickeya solani sp. nov., a pectinolytic plant pathogenic bacterium isolated from potato (Solanum tuberosum)

Pectinolytic bacteria were recently isolated from diseased potato plants exhibiting blackleg and slow wilt symptoms found in a number of European countries and Israel. These Gram-negative, motile, rods were identified as belonging to the genus Dickeya, previously the Pectobacterium chrysanthemi complex (Erwinia chrysanthemi), on the basis of a positive PCR reaction with pelADE primers, 16S rDNA sequence analyis, fatty acid methyl esterase analysis, the production of phosphatases and the ability to produce indole and acids from a-methyl glucoside. Differential physiological assays used previously to differentiate between strains of E. chrysanthemi, showed that these isolates belonged to biovar 3. Eight of the isolates, seven from potato and one from hyacinth, were analysed together with 21 reference strains representing all currently recognised taxa within the genus Dickeya. The new isolates formed a distinct genetic clade in multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) using concatenated sequences of the intergenic spacer (IGS), as well as genes dnaX, recA, dnaN, fusA, gapA, purA, rplB, rpoS and gyrA. Characterization by whole-cell MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, pulsed field gel electrophoresis after digestion of whole genome DNA with rare cutting restriction enzymes, average nucleotide identity analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization studies, showed that although related to D. dadantii, these isolates represent a novel species within the genus Dickeya, for which the name Dickeya solani sp. nov. (type strain IPO 2222T =LMG25993T =NCPPB4479T) is propose