Two new species of Fusarium section Liseola associated with mango malformation.

Mango malformation is an economically important disease of Mangifera indica globally. A recent DNA-based study indicated that two distinct, phylogenetic lineages previously identified as Fusarium subglutinans are associated with this disease in South Africa. The objective of this study was to characterize Fusarium isolates associated with mango malformation, including the two different F.

Microsatellite markers reflect intra-specific relationships between isolates of the vascular wilt pathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata.

summary Ceratocystis fimbriata is a serious wilt and canker stain pathogen with a wide geographical distribution and host range that includes both woody and herbaceous plants. Previous studies using hybridization have shown that isolates of C. fimbriata from different hosts and origins differ in colony morphology, pathogenicity and growth rate, as well as conidial state.

Gibberella fujikuroi mating population E is associated with maize and teosinte.

Summary Isolates of Fusarium subglutinans mating population E are usually found on maize. This fungus forms part of the so-called Gibberella fujikuroi species complex. Previously, F.

Cloning and sequence analysis of the endopolygalacturonase gene from the pitch canker fungus, Fusarium circinatum.

The fungus Fusarium circinatum causes pitch canker disease on mature pine trees and root rot and damping-off of pine seedlings. Endopolygalacturonases (endoPGs) play a major role during penetration of plants by fungi. Digestion of the pectic polysaccharides in the plant primary cell walls is one of the earliest functions of endoPGs during infection.

The root rot fungus Armillaria mellea introduced into South Africa by early Dutch settlers.

Dead and dying oak (Quercus) and numerous other woody ornamental trees and shrubs showing signs and symptoms of Armillaria root rot were identified in the Company Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa, which were established in the mid-1600s by the Dutch East Indies Trading Company. Nineteen isolates from dying trees or from mushrooms were collected and analysed to identify and characterize the Armillaria sp. responsible for the disease.

Characterization of Seiridium spp. Associated with Cypress Canker Based on ß-Tubulin and Histone Sequences.

Cypress canker is a serious disease that has devastated Cupressus spp. in many parts of the world. In Mediterranean Europe it has caused the deaths of millions of trees.

Simple sequence repeat markers distinguish among morphotypes of Sphaeropsis sapinea.

Sphaeropsis sapinea is a fungal endophyte of Pinus spp. that can cause disease following predisposition of trees by biotic or abiotic stresses. Four morphotypes of S.

A novel RNA mycovirus in a hypovirulent isolate of the plant pathogen Diaporthe ambigua.

Hypovirulent isolates of the fruit tree fungal pathogen Diaporthe ambigua have previously been shown to harbour a double-stranded (ds)RNA genetic element of about 4 kb. In this study, we established the complete cDNA sequence of this dsRNA, which represents a replicative form of a positive-strand RNA virus that we have named D. ambigua RNA virus (DaRV).

PCR-based identification of MAT-1 and MAT-2 in the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex.

All sexually fertile strains in the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex are heterothallic, with individual mating types conferred by the broadly conserved ascomycete idiomorphs MAT-1 and MAT-2. We sequenced both alleles from all eight mating populations, developed a multiplex PCR technique to distinguish these idiomorphs, and tested it with representative strains from all eight biological species and 22 additional species or phylogenetic lineages from this species complex. In most cases, either an approximately 800-bp fragment from MAT-2 or an approximately 200-bp fragment from MAT-1 is amplified.

Deletion of the MAT-2 mating-type gene during uni-directional mating-type switching in Ceratocystis.

Ceratocystis eucalypti is strictly heterothallic, with single ascospore strains representing one of two opposite mating types. Most other Ceratocystis species, including C. virescens, C.

Treatment of severe glaucomatous visual field deficit by chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective case study and discussion.

Objective: To discuss the case of a patient with severely reduced visual fields arising from terminal glaucomatous retinal damage and the treatment of this condition by spinal manipulation.

Clinical Features: A 25-year-old uniocular female patient with congenital glaucoma sought chiropractic treatment for spinal pain, headache, and classic migraine. Advanced optic disk cupping was present, and loss of vision was near complete.

Molecular characterization of Fusarium subglutinans associated with mango malformation.

Abstract Mango malformation is a serious disease of Mangifera indica in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This disease is caused by Fusarium subglutinans, which is also associated with diseases on many other hosts, such as pineapple, pine, maize and sugarcane. The F.

Characterization of Sphaeropsis sapinea Isolates from South Africa, Mexico, and Indonesia.

Post-hail-associated dieback of Pinus patula and P. radiata trees, induced by Sphaeropsis sapinea (=Diplodia pinea), is a common and important disease in commercial pine plantations. Two morphotypes, A and B, have been described for this fungus based on differences in cultural characteristics, conidial morphology, and virulence among isolates from the north central United States.

Differentiation of Fusarium subglutinans f. sp. pini by histone gene sequence data.

Fusarium subglutinans f. sp. pini (= F.

Coinfection of a fungal pathogen by two distinct double-stranded RNA viruses.

Unsegmented double-stranded (ds)RNA viruses belonging to the family Totiviridae persistently infect protozoa and fungi. In this study, two totiviruses were found to coinfect the filamentous fungus Sphaeropsis sapinea, a well known pathogen of pines. Isometric, virus-like particles approximately 35 nm in diameter were isolated from extracts of this fungus.

Identification of classical Propionibacterium species using 16S rDNA-restriction fragment length polymorphisms.

The phenotypic identification of the classical propionibacteria is essentially still problematic and alternative techniques for the identification of the various species are required. A rapid and sensitive technique for the routine identification of the classical propionibacteria, based on the amplification of 16S rRNA genes using the polymerase chain reaction and the subsequent restriction endonuclease digestion of the PCR products, was previously described. Although this technique enabled differentiation between the various classical species examined it was only evaluated on a limited number of type and reference strains.

Ribosomal RNA sequence phylogeny is not congruent with ascospore morphology among species in Ceratocystis sensu stricto.

The genus Ceratocystis sensu stricto includes important fungal pathogens of woody and herbaceous plants. This genus is distinguished from species in Ceratocystis sensu lato by the presence of Chalara anamorphs. Ascospore shape has been used extensively in delineating Ceratocystis taxa, which show a large variety of ascospore shapes.

A K2 neutral Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain contains a variant K2 M genome.

K2 neutral strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae USM12 was identified and characterized. This strain carried an M double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome encoding for resistance to K2 toxin. The M dsRNA was larger than the K2 killer yeast M dsRNA and homoduplex analysis of denatured and reannealed K2 neurtal M dsRNA revealed an inverted duplication.

Plasmids in Leuconostoc oenos.

A new procedure was used to isolate 11 plasmids from eight Leuconostoc oenos strains. Plasmid DNA was not detected in 34 other strains of this species. Plasmid sizes ranged from 2.

Glucocorticoid therapy in children. Effect on somatomedin secretion.

Glucocorticoids cause growth retardation in children. We have studied the effect of these hormones on serum somatomedin (Sm) levels in seven children with nephrosis. Intravenous administration of methylprednisolone sodium succinate, 2.

Somatomedin and the regulation of skeletal growth.

Somatomedin is a polypeptide(s) which "mediates" the actions of growth hormone. This pituitary dependent hormone was previously called "sulfation factor," a term derived from the bioassay technique which measures the incorporation of radioactive sulfate into cartilage glycosaminoglycans. Somatomedin has a more general effect upon cartilage; it is necessary for the cell multiplication and cartilage maturation which results in the growth of long bones.