Evaluation of the Increased Genetic Resolution and Utility for Source Tracking of a Recently Developed Method for Genotyping .

is a foodborne parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, an enteric illness in humans. Genotyping methods are used to genetically discriminate between specimens from cyclosporiasis cases and can complement source attribution investigations if the method is sufficiently sensitive for application to food items. A very sensitive targeted amplicon sequencing (TAS) assay for genotyping encompassing 52 loci was recently designed.

Divergent corn population is composed of prolific conidium producers: Implications for saprophytic disease cycle.

The ascomycete fungus infects and contaminates corn, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts with toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins. Subdivision between soil and host plant populations suggests that certain strains are specialized to infect peanut, cotton, and corn despite having a broad host range. In this study, the ability of strains isolated from corn and/or soil in 11 Louisiana fields to produce conidia (field inoculum and male gamete) and sclerotia (resting bodies and female gamete) was assessed and compared with genotypic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences between whole genomes.

Weather factors, soil microbiome, and bacteria-fungi interactions as drivers of the epiphytic phyllosphere communities of romaine lettuce.

Lettuce is associated with seasonal outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections. Little is known about how various biotic and abiotic factors affect the lettuce microbiome, which in turn impacts STEC colonization. We characterized the lettuce phyllosphere and surface soil bacterial, fungal, and oomycete communities at harvest in late-spring and -fall in California using metagenomics.

Draft Genome Sequences of Isolates of Diverse Host Origin from the E. coli Reference Center at Penn State University.

strains present a vast genomic diversity. We report the draft genome sequences of 1,000 isolates from the Reference Center at Penn State University. These strains were originally isolated from multiple animal and environmental sources over the past 50 years.

Draft Genome Sequences of 20 Aspergillus flavus Isolates from Corn Kernels and Cornfield Soils in Louisiana.

is a common saprophyte and opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects plants, animals, and humans. It also produces numerous toxic and nontoxic secondary metabolites. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 20 isolates, belonging to 16 vegetative compatibility groups, from Louisiana corn kernels and cornfield soils.

Draft Genome Sequences of Strains Isolated from Grapes and Apples.

Here, we report the draft genome sequences of , isolated from seedless grapes, and and , isolated from Red Delicious apples, all from the Washington, DC, area.

Draft Genome Sequences of 12 Isolates from 3 Fusarium Species Recovered from Moldy Peanuts.

In this report, we announce the sequences of six genomes of (isolates MOD1-FUNGI8, -12, -13, -14, -15, and -19), four genomes of (MOD1-FUNGI9, -10, -11, and -16), and two genomes of the - species complex (MOD1-FUNGI17 and MOD1-FUNGI18) isolated from moldy peanuts from the Washington, DC, area.

Draft Genome Sequences of Escherichia albertii, Escherichia fergusonii, and Strains Belonging to Six Cryptic Lineages of Escherichia spp.

We report here the genome sequences of 55 strains belonging to the genus from multiple animal and environmental sources. These strains include representatives of , , and six additional genetically distinct lineages of spp., one of which is newly discovered and is being reported for the first time here.

Species-Wide Collection of Isolates for Examination of Genomic Diversity.

Pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains present a vast genomic diversity. We report the genome sequences of 2,244 isolates from multiple animal and environmental sources. Their phylogenetic relationships and potential risk to human health were examined.

Comparison of Salmonella enterica serovar Bovismorbificans 2011 hummus outbreak strains with non-outbreak strains.

Eleven Salmonella enterica serovar Bovismorbificans isolates obtained from the U.S. District of Columbia during a 2011 hummus-associated foodborne outbreak were compared to 12 non-outbreak isolates.