Publications by authors named "T Smits"
Article Synopsis
- Fire blight, caused by a bacterial pathogen, has spread from Europe and the Mediterranean to parts of Asia, posing threats to apple and pear production as well as local wild species in countries like Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
- This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of the fire blight pathogen in Central Asia and the Caucasus using genomic sequencing and CRISPR Repeat Regions genotyping to trace its spread across these regions.
- Results revealed that Central Asian strains are closely related to those from the Persian region and the Middle East, while the Georgian population shows more genetic distance; the study also documents fire blight's first occurrences in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China, emphasizing the need for genetic analysis to combat
Motivation: Biomedical visualizations are key to accessing biomedical knowledge and detecting new patterns in large datasets. Interactive visualizations are essential for biomedical data scientists and are omnipresent in data analysis software and data portals. Without appropriate descriptions, these visualizations are not accessible to all people with blindness and low vision, who often rely on screen reader accessibility technologies to access visual information on digital devices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe genus Phytobacter (fam. Enterobacteriaceae) includes species like Phytobacter diazotrophicus and Phytobacter ursingii, which have emerged as opportunistic human pathogens, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as pre-term infants and immunocompromised patients. Traditional biochemical and molecular methods have struggled to accurately identify Phytobacter species in clinical diagnostics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFire blight caused by reached Kazakhstan in 2008. Here, the disease poses a threat not only to agricultural production of apples and pears, but also to the forests of wild , the progenitor of most domesticated apple varieties worldwide. In the period 2019-2021, the spread of fire blight in the growth area of wild apples was limited by the weather conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Fire blight is a serious disease caused by bacteria that can quickly kill apple and pear trees.
- It's been found in Central Asia, where important wild fruit plants help the environment.
- To help people recognize and control this disease, an app has been created that provides information in multiple languages and allows users to track its spread.