The Three-Cornered Alfalfa Hopper, , Is a Vector of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus in Vineyards.

(Hemiptera: Membracidae) transmit grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV, , ) in greenhouse settings; however, their role as a vector of GRBV in vineyards is unknown. Following controlled exposures of aviruliferous for two weeks on infected, asymptomatic vines in a California vineyard in June and a 48 h gut clearing on alfalfa, a nonhost of GRBV, approximately half of the released insects tested positive for GRBV (45%, 46 of 102), including in the salivary glands of dissected individuals (11%, 3 of 27), indicating acquisition. Following controlled exposures of viruliferous for two to six weeks on GRBV-negative vines in vineyards in California and New York in June, transmission of GRBV was detected when two were restricted to a single leaf (3%, 2 of 62 in California; 10%, 5 of 50 in New York) but not with cohorts of 10-20 specimens on entire or half shoots.

Complete Genome Sequence Resource for a Recently Isolated Potato Ring Rot Pathogen, K496.

Potato ring rot caused by has been a devastating disease in the U.S. since 1930.

Transmission of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus by [Say, 1830] (Hemiptera: Membracidae) between Free-Living Vines and 'Cabernet Franc'.

Grapevine red blotch disease emerged within the past decade, disrupting North American vine stock production and vineyard profitability. Our understanding of how grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV), the causal agent of the disease, interacts with its hosts and insect vector, , is limited. Here, we studied the capabilities of to transmit GRBV from and to free-living vines, identified as first-generation hybrids of and 'Sauvignon blanc' (Vcal hybrids), and to and from 'Cabernet franc' (Vvin Cf) vines.

Species of and Isolated during an Outbreak of Blackleg and Soft Rot of Potato in Northeastern and North Central United States.

An outbreak of bacterial soft rot and blackleg of potato has occurred since 2014 with the epicenter being in the northeastern region of the United States. Multiple species of and are causal agents, resulting in losses to commercial and seed potato production over the past decade in the Northeastern and North Central United States. To clarify the pathogen present at the outset of the epidemic in 2015 and 2016, a phylogenetic study was made of 121 pectolytic soft rot bacteria isolated from symptomatic potato; also included were 27 type strains of and species, and 47 historic reference strains.

Accuracy of four lateral flow immunoassays for anti SARS-CoV-2 antibodies: a head-to-head comparative study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests are used for population surveillance and might have a future role in individual risk assessment. Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) can deliver results rapidly and at scale, but have widely varying accuracy.

Methods: In a laboratory setting, we performed head-to-head comparisons of four LFIAs: the Rapid Test Consortium's AbC-19 Rapid Test, OrientGene COVID IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette, SureScreen COVID-19 Rapid Test Cassette, and Biomerica COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test.

An anomalous detection of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomato in New York State.

In August 2020, a New York State vegetable grower sought assistance to identify a malady of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The plants were grown from saved seed that had been planted annually in NY and/or FL for over 15 years without significant disease problems, but the identity of the cultivar was not known. Submitted photos showed severely stunted plants with distorted leaves (crinkling, cupping, twisting); leaves were reduced in size and showed interveinal yellowing.

Robust antibody responses in 70-80-year-olds 3 weeks after the first or second doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, United Kingdom, January to February 2021.

Sera were collected from 185 adults aged ≥ 70 years in London to evaluate the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines. A single dose of Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine resulted in > 94% seropositivity after 3 weeks in naïve individuals using the Roche Spike antibody assay, while two doses produced very high spike antibody levels, significantly higher than convalescent sera from mild-to-moderate PCR-confirmed adult cases. Our findings support the United Kingdom's approach of prioritising the first dose and delaying the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Grapevine Red Blotch Virus Is Transmitted by the Three-Cornered Alfalfa Hopper in a Circulative, Nonpropagative Mode with Unique Attributes.

The transmission mode of grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV, genus , family ) by , the three-cornered alfalfa hopper, is unknown. By analogy with other members in the family , we hypothesized circulative, nonpropagative transmission. Time-course experiments revealed GRBV in dissected guts, hemolymph, and heads with salivary glands after a 5-, 8-, and 10-day exposure to infected grapevines, respectively.

Cultivated and Wild Grapevines in Tennessee Possess Overlapping but Distinct Virus Populations.

Viruses and viroids prevalent in a population of 42 wild grapevines (i.e., free-living, uncultivated grapevines; spp.

St. Jude Cloud: A Pediatric Cancer Genomic Data-Sharing Ecosystem.

Effective data sharing is key to accelerating research to improve diagnostic precision, treatment efficacy, and long-term survival in pediatric cancer and other childhood catastrophic diseases. We present St. Jude Cloud (https://www.

Identification of Causing Blackleg of Potato in New York State.

Soft rot bacteria classified in the Pectobacteriaceae (SRP), including and spp., are responsible for soft rot and blackleg diseases of potato. Since 2014, blackleg outbreaks caused by have increased in the United States and Canada.

Accuracy of UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) "AbC-19 Rapid Test" for detection of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in key workers: test accuracy study.

Objective: To assess the accuracy of the AbC-19 Rapid Test lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Design: Test accuracy study.

Setting: Laboratory based evaluation.

Grapevine Asteroid Mosaic-Associated Virus is Resident and Prevalent in Wild, Noncultivated Grapevine of New York State.

In North America, uncultivated, free-living grapevines ( spp.) frequently grow alongside their cultivated counterparts, thus increasing the potential for exchange of microbiota. For this study, we used high-throughput sequencing (HTS) of small RNAs to survey for virus populations in free-living grapevines of the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

Complete Genome Sequence of a Gram-Positive Bacterium, sp. Strain PS1209, a Potato Endophyte.

We report the complete and annotated genome sequence of a Gram-positive bacterium, sp. strain PS1209, a potato endophyte that was isolated from apparently healthy tubers of potato cultivar NY166. The circular genome is 4,091,164 bp long, with a GC content of 69.

A Small RNA-Mediated Regulatory Network in Demonstrates Connectivity Between phasiRNA Regulatory Modules and Extensive Co-Regulation of Transcription by miRNAs and phasiRNAs.

Gene regulation involves the orchestrated action of multiple regulators to fine-tune the expression of genes. Hierarchical interactions and co-regulation among regulators are commonly observed in biological systems, leading to complex regulatory networks. Small RNA (sRNAs) have been shown to be important regulators of gene expression due to their involvement in multiple cellular processes.

A rapid, sensitive and inexpensive method for detection of grapevine red blotch virus without tissue extraction using loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is an emerging virus of significant viticultural importance throughout North America. Here, we report the development of a simple protocol for point-of-use detection of GRBV. Extraction of nucleic acids is not required; instead, the whole intact plant can simply be pricked with a sterile pipette tip, which is then incubated in sterile distilled water to provide the sample template in a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction.

Complete Genome Sequence of Dickeya dianthicola ME23, a Pathogen Causing Blackleg and Soft Rot Diseases of Potato.

In 2014, an outbreak of potato blackleg and soft rot disease emerged in North America and continues to impact potato production. Here, we report the annotated genome sequence of Dickeya dianthicola ME23, a strain hypothesized to be representative of the bacterial population responsible for this disease outbreak.

Evidence for the splicing of grablovirus transcripts reveals a putative novel open reading frame.

Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is type member of the newly identified genus Grablovirus. It possesses a single-stranded circular DNA genome of around 3200 nucleotides encoding three open reading frames (ORFs) in both the virion sense, the V1 (CP), V2 and V3, and complementary sense, C1 (RepA), C2 and C3. As shown for members of the genus Mastrevirus, the C1 and C2 ORFs are predicted to fuse through splicing to form a replication-associated protein (Rep).

The Distribution and Detection of Grapevine red blotch virus in its Host Depend on Time of Sampling and Tissue Type.

Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is the causal agent of grapevine red blotch, an emerging disease that affects cultivated grapevine such as Vitis vinifera. The ability to detect viruses in grapevine is often hindered by low virus titers compounded by a variable distribution in the plant and seasonal variations. In order to examine these two variables in relation to GRBV, we developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method that incorporates both internal and external references to enhance assay robustness.

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Grabloviruses in Free-Living Vitis spp.

The distribution and diversity of grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) and wild Vitis virus 1 (WVV1) (genus Grablovirus; family Geminiviridae) were determined in free-living Vitis spp. in northern California and New York from 2013 to 2017. Grabloviruses were detected by polymerase chain reaction in 28% (57 of 203) of samples from California but in none of the 163 samples from New York.

Pectobacterium and Dickeya Responsible for Potato Blackleg Disease in New York State in 2016.

Beginning in 2014, outbreaks of blackleg disease compromised potato (Solanum tuberosum) production in the northeastern United States. Disease severity was atypical for plantings with certified seed. During 2016, 43 samples with blackleg symptoms were analyzed, originating from more than 20 farms operating in New York State.

Identification of Plant Virus Receptor Candidates in the Stylets of Their Aphid Vectors.

Plant viruses transmitted by insects cause tremendous losses in most important crops around the world. The identification of receptors of plant viruses within their insect vectors is a key challenge to understanding the mechanisms of transmission and offers an avenue for future alternative control strategies to limit viral spread. We here report the identification of two cuticular proteins within aphid mouthparts, and we provide experimental support for the role of one of them in the transmission of a noncirculative virus.