The Return of Asiatic Citrus Canker to Texas: Surveys and Eradication Efforts

2021 ◽  
pp. PHP-10-20-0089-
Author(s):  
Emma Perez ◽  
Madhurababu Kunta ◽  
Veronica Ancona ◽  
John V. da Graça ◽  
Caleb Ayin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Protection ◽  
Citrus Canker ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Corpus Christi ◽  
Texas Department ◽  
Citrus Varieties ◽  
Inspection Service ◽  
Orange Trees

Citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (syn. X. axonopodis pv. citri) was first reported in South Texas during the early 1900s, prompting quarantine and eradication programs by the federal government. Its last reported incidence in Texas was from two trees from Corpus Christi in 1943. In May 2016, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) confirmed the presence of the Asiatic A strain, which is by far the most widespread and severe form infecting most citrus varieties, on two sour orange trees in a park in Houston. Subsequently, infected trees were detected in a nursery in Richmond (Fort Bend Co.) in August 2016 and in dooryard trees in Pearland (Brazoria Co.) in 2018. PPQ and Texas Department of Agriculture collected a combined 1,949 positive A strain samples from Harris, Fort Bend, and Brazoria Counties during May 2016 to January 2021. These findings resulted in seven active citrus canker quarantine zones being established in the Upper Golf Coast area. The Texas Department of Agriculture is removing positive trees, and surveys are continuing.

scholarly journals Survey and Detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in a Citrus Nursery Facility in South Texas

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufemi J. Alabi ◽  
Madhurababu Kunta ◽  
Jon Dale ◽  
Mamoudou Sétamou
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Tissue ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Texas Department ◽  
Nursery Production ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus

Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), is primarily spread via infected citrus nursery trees and by infective Asian citrus psyllid, the insect vector. Recently, the Texas Department of Agriculture initiated regulations requiring commercial and retail citrus nurseries in Texas to transition from traditional open-field to enclosed facilities with insect-resistant screens to mitigate the risk of nurseries serving as sources of CLas. Although several nursery production facilities have adopted this regulation, non-enclosed nurseries persist and pose a significant threat to the citrus industry as potential sources of CLas. A systematic survey for HLB was embarked on in a semi-open nursery facility in South Texas in April 2014. Leaf tissue samples taken from 94 trees representing 5% of the total number of potted trees in the nursery were tested for CLas by quantitative and conventional PCR assays. Of 94 trees tested, 3.2% (3 trees) were positive for CLas by both assays. The presence of CLas in the PCR-positive samples was confirmed by multi-locus sequence analyses. The results represent the first report of HLB in a nursery facility in Texas, and underscore the need for more intensive surveillance for HLB in citrus nursery stock as an integral component of HLB mitigation efforts in Texas. Accepted for publication 27 August 2014. Published 15 December 2014.

scholarly journals Occurrence of a Citrus Canker Strain With Limited Host Specificity in South Texas

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
John V. da Graça ◽  
Madhurababu Kunta ◽  
Jong-Won Park ◽  
Marissa Gonzalez ◽  
Gem Santillana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Range ◽  
Citrus Canker ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Leaf Extracts ◽  
Mexican Lime ◽  
Molecular Tests ◽  
Citrus Varieties ◽  
Stem Lesions ◽  
Infiltration Method

In October 2015, a Mexican lime exhibiting citrus canker symptoms was found by the USDA APHIS PPQ in a residential property in Rancho Viejo, Cameron County, Texas. Real-time PCR analysis detected the presence of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri; USDA APHIS PPQ in Beltsville, MD confirmed this diagnosis. A delimiting survey was initiated and suspect leaf samples were collected and sent to the PPQ Beltsville lab for analysis. By October 2017, leaf samples from 197 trees were confirmed positive for citrus canker, all within a 5-mile radius; in addition, a further 59 symptomatic trees were found and all 256 infected trees (254 Mexican lime, one makrut lime, and one Ponderosa lemon) were removed. Survey data collected on stem lesions suggested the oldest lesions to be between 4 to 6 years old. A host-range study using 12 citrus varieties, including the major commercial varieties grown in Texas, were inoculated with crude leaf extracts from symptomatic leaves by leaf infiltration method. Mexican limes and alemow were the only citrus plants that developed definitive canker lesions. A combination of host range, serological, and molecular tests suggested that this isolate was different from the typical Asiatic strain and more similar to X. citri subsp. citri AW which was only previously reported from Florida on Mexican lime and alemow.

‘KILLER BEES’ BLAMED IN TEXAS MAN'S DEATH

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-118
Author(s):  
J. F. L.
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
The United States ◽  
South Texas ◽  
First Person ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Federal Department ◽  
Africanized Bees ◽  
Insect Stings

Harlington, TX, July 19 (AP)—Federal agricultural officials say that the honey bees that killed an 82-year-old rancher last week were the Africanized variety known as "killer bees." "Our lab has confirmed that the bees are Africanized," said Kim Kaplan, a Spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Agriculture in Greenbelt, MD. Final autopsy results are not yet available, but the pathologist who did the autopsy listed the preliminary cause of death as acute fluid buildup in the lungs caused by insect stings. If the cause of death is confirmed, the rancher, Lino Lopex, would be the first person killed by Africanized bees in the United States since the aggressive variety migrated into Texas in 1990. Harlington, TX, in South Texas, is about 15 miles from the Mexican border. Mr. Lopez apparently tried to drive the bees out of a wall in an abandoned house by poking the hive with a stick wrapped with a burning burlap sack. He was dead on arrival at the hospital, with about 40 stingers still attached to his body, officials said.

Prevalence of Salmonella on Raw Poultry at Retail Markets in China

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 1724-1728 ◽  
Author(s):  
BAOWEI YANG ◽  
MEILI XI ◽  
XIN WANG ◽  
SHENGHUI CUI ◽  
TIANLI YUE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Retail Markets ◽  
Critical Control Point ◽  
Inspection Service ◽  
Raw Poultry

Data regarding Salmonella on raw poultry are very limited in China. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella on raw poultry at the retail level in six provinces and two national cities in China. Whole chicken carcasses (n = 1,152) were collected from three types of retail markets (large, small, and wet). All samples were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella by using the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service method. Of 1,152 chicken samples, overall Salmonella prevalence was 52.2%. The highest prevalence was observed in Guangxi Province (65.3%), next in Guangdong Province (64.6%), and then in Beijing (63.9%), Shaanxi Province (50.7%), Henan Province (47.9%), Shanghai (44.4%), and Fujian Province (42.4%), and lowest prevalence was observed in Sichuan Province (38.9%). Salmonella prevalence was significantly different among the six provinces and two national cities. Salmonella prevalence was highest in the wet markets (54.4%) compared with the large markets (50.3%) and the small markets (52.1%), but differences were not significant (P > 0.05). Good manufacturing practices, good agricultural practices, and hazard analysis critical control point systems for Salmonella control in poultry production at the farm, processing, and retail level should be implemented.

scholarly journals Procedure for microbiological baseline surveys conducted by US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service

Food Control ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 107083
Author(s):  
Hans D. Allender ◽  
Stephanie Buchanan ◽  
Naser Abdelmajid ◽  
Ilene Arnold ◽  
Jeanetta Tankson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Inspection Service

Contamination Revealed by Indicator Microorganism Levels during Veal Processing

2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 1341-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH M. BOSILEVAC ◽  
RONG WANG ◽  
BRANDON E. LUEDTKE ◽  
TOMMY L. WHEELER ◽  
MOHAMMAD KOOHMARAIE
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Veal Calves ◽  
Indicator Microorganism ◽  
Analysis Of Results ◽  
Aerobic Plate Count ◽  
Inspection Service ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT During site visits of veal processors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has reported processing deficiencies that likely contribute to increased levels of veal contamination. Here, we report the results of measuring aerobic plate count bacteria (APC), Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms (CF), and Escherichia coli during eight sample collections at five veal processors to assess contamination during the harvest of bob veal and formula-fed veal before (n = 5 plants) and after (n = 3 plants) changes to interventions and processing practices. Hides of veal calves at each plant had mean log CFU/100 cm2 APC, Enterobacteriaceae, CF, and E. coli of 6.02 to 8.07, 2.95 to 5.24, 3.28 to 5.83, and 3.08 to 5.59, respectively. Preintervention carcasses had mean log CFU/100 cm2 APC, Enterobacteriaceae, CF, and E. coli of 3.08 to 5.22, 1.16 to 3.47, 0.21 to 3.06, and −0.07 to 3.10, respectively, before and 2.72 to 4.50, 0.99 to 2.76, 0.69 to 2.26, and 0.33 to 2.12, respectively, after changes were made to improve sanitary dressing procedures. Final veal carcasses had mean log CFU/100 cm2 APC, Enterobacteriaceae, CF, and E. coli of 0.36 to 2.84, −0.21 to 1.59, −0.23 to 1.59, and −0.38 to 1.45 before and 0.44 to 2.64, −0.16 to 1.33, −0.42 to 1.20, and −0.48 to 1.09 after changes were made to improve carcass-directed interventions. Whereas the improved dressing procedures resulted in improved carcass cleanliness, the changes to carcass-directed interventions were less successful, and veal processors are urged to use techniques that ensure uniform and consistent delivery of antimicrobials to carcasses. Analysis of results comparing bob veal to formula-fed veal found bob veal hides, preintervention carcasses, and final carcasses to have increased (P < 0.05) APC, Enterobacteriaceae, CF, and E. coli (with the exception of hide Enterobacteriaceae; P > 0.05) relative to formula fed veal. When both veal categories were harvested at the same plant on the same day, similar results were observed. Since identification by FSIS, the control of contamination during veal processing has started to improve, but challenges still persist.

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