A rapid phenotype change in the pathogen Perkinsus marinus was associated with a historically significant marine disease emergence in the eastern oyster

The protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus, which causes dermo disease in Crassostrea virginica, is one of the most ecologically important and economically destructive marine pathogens. The rapid and persistent intensification of dermo in the USA in the 1980s has long been enigmatic. Attributed originally to the effects of multi-year drought, climatic factors fail to fully explain the geographic extent of dermo’s intensification or the persistence of its intensified activity. Here we show that emergence of a unique, hypervirulent P. marinus phenotype was associated with the increase in prevalence and intensity of this disease and associated mortality. Retrospective histopathology of 8355 archival oysters from 1960 to 2018 spanning Chesapeake Bay, South Carolina, and New Jersey revealed that a new parasite phenotype emerged between 1983 and 1990, concurrent with major historical dermo disease outbreaks. Phenotypic changes included a shortening of the parasite’s life cycle and a tropism shift from deeper connective tissues to digestive epithelia. The changes are likely adaptive with regard to the reduced oyster abundance and longevity faced by P. marinus after rapid establishment of exotic pathogen Haplosporidium nelsoni in 1959. Our findings, we hypothesize, illustrate a novel ecosystem response to a marine parasite invasion: an increase in virulence in a native parasite.

Low Genetic Diversity Suggests the Recent Introduction of Dogwood Powdery Mildew to North America

Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) is a popular understory tree endemic to the eastern hardwood forests of the United States. In 1996, dogwood powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe pulchra, an obligate biotrophic fungus of large bracted dogwoods, reached epidemic levels throughout the C. florida growing region. In the late 1990s, both sexual and asexual stages of E. pulchra were regularly observed; thereafter, the sexual stage was found less frequently. We examined the genetic diversity and population structure of 167 E. pulchra samples on C. florida leaves using 15 microsatellite loci. Samples were organized into two separate collection zone data sets, separated as eight zones and two zones, for the subsequent analysis of microsatellite allele length data. Clone correction analysis reduced the sample size to 90 multilocus haplotypes. Our study indicated low genetic diversity, a lack of definitive population structure, low genetic distance among multilocus haplotypes, and significant linkage disequilibrium among zones. Evidence of a population bottleneck was also detected. The results of our study indicated a high probability that E. pulchra reproduces predominately via asexual conidia and lend support to the hypothesis that E. pulchra is an exotic pathogen to North America.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Transmission of Xylella fastidiosa Subspecies Pauca Sequence Type 53 by Different Insect Species

Diseases associated with Xylella fastidiosa have been described mostly in North and South America. However, during the last five years, widespread X. fastidiosa infections have been reported in a constrained area of the Apulia region (southern Italy), in olives trees suffering a severe disease, denoted as Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS). Because many xylem sap-feeding insects can function as vectors for the transmission of this exotic pathogen in EU, several research programs are ongoing to assess the role of candidate vectors in the spread of the infections. Initial investigations identified Philaenus spumarius (L.) as the predominant vector species in the olive orchards affected by the OQDS. Additional experiments have been carried out during 2016 and 2017 to assess the role of other species. More specifically, adults of the spittlebugs Philaenus italosignus Drosopolous and Remane, Neophilaenus campestris (Fallen) and of the planthopper Latilica tunetana (Matsumura) (Issidae) have been tested in transmission experiments to assess their ability to acquire the bacterium from infected olives and to infect different susceptible hosts (olives, almond, myrtle –leaf milkwort, periwinkle). Acquisition rates determined by testing individual insects in quantitative PCR assays, ranging from 5.6% in N. campestris to 22.2% in P. italosignus, whereas no acquisition was recorded for L. tunetana. Successful transmissions were detected in the recipient plants exposed to P. italosignus and N. campestris, whereas no trasmissions occurred with L. tunetana. The known vector Philaenus spumarius has been included in all the experiments for validation. The systematic surveys conducted in 2016 and 2017 provided further evidence on the population dynamics and seasonal abundance of the spittlebug populations in the olive groves.

Factors Influencing the Regional Dynamics of Butternut Canker

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) is an important component of native biodiversity in eastern North America. Of urgent concern is the survival of butternut, whose populations are declining rapidly, in large part due to an exotic pathogen, Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum, that causes butternut canker. The disease presently occurs throughout the range of butternut in North America, causing branch and stem cankers, dieback, and tree mortality. Despite the existential threat posed by O. clavigignenti-juglandacearum to butternut, a detailed understanding of the factors that drive cross-scale disease patterns is lacking. Therefore, we investigated the association of a range of factors, including tree attributes, topography, and weather, with butternut canker spatial dynamics at different scales using data collected in the province of Quebec, Canada. Trunk canker damage and dieback showed distinct geographic patterns. Bark phenotype was not significantly associated with trunk canker damage. Results suggest that open or dominant trees may show less dieback than intermediate or suppressed trees. Probability of the presence of trunk canker and percent dieback were proportional to the tree diameter at breast height. Temperature was positively associated with disease severity at a 1-km2 scale. Our results provide strong evidence that multiple factors, notably weather, influence butternut canker epidemiology.

Drought and flood stress tolerance of butternut (Juglans cinerea) and naturally occurring hybrids: implications for restoration

Efforts to restore species threatened by introduced pathogens often include breeding resistance into susceptible native species from resistant exotics, but this is a lengthy and expensive process. Naturally occurring hybrids between susceptible and resistant species may accelerate this process if they fulfill the desired species’ ecological function. To explore this possibility, we exposed the following seedlings to drought and flood treatments in a controlled environment: Juglans cinerea L. (butternut), which has been devastated by an exotic pathogen; Juglans ailantifolia Carr. var. cordiformis (heartnut); Juglans × bixbyi Rehd. [ailanthifolia × cinerea] (buartnut), multigenerational hybrids between butternut and heartnut; and Juglans nigra L. (black walnut). There was a strong taxa × treatment interaction. Butternut had a negative response to flood treatments, expressed by reduced leaf area (LA), photosynthetic assimilation (A), and chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm). Heartnut had a negative response to drought, expressed by lower LA and A. Hybrid A and LA were reduced in response to both treatments. Results indicate that hybrid drought and flood tolerance may limit their overall ability to completely occupy the ecological niche formerly filled by butternut. However, the strong dichotomous response of progenitors to moisture stress suggests that hybrids could be efficiently screened for J. cinerea character in conjunction with disease resistance.

Sawadaea tulasnei Powdery Mildew of Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in Oregon

In August 2012, Norway maple ‘Crimson Century’ trees affected by powdery mildew were observed in Portland, OR. A majority of leaves throughout the crowns on each of the five trees planted in the street terrace on one side of a single city block were affected. White mycelium was present in irregular, discrete, scattered spots or almost continuously on the upper surfaces of leaves and also was present on some petioles. The affected area of the upper surface of leaf blades was estimated to typically be >50%. Chasmothecia were present singly or in groups on the mycelium, and bore simple and bifid appendages (originating from the upper half of the chasmothecia) including some with uncinate or circinate apices that allowed tentative identification to the genus Sawadaea (1). Mean diameter of the chasmothecia was 160 (standard error [SE] = 3.9) μm, and mean appendage length was 72 (SE = 4.9) μm. Asci averaged 77 (SE = 1.2) × 52 (SE = 1.2) μm and ascospores averaged 24 (SE = 0.4) × 12 (SE = 0.3) μm. Braun (1) reported ranges in dimensions of these features as: chasmothecia, (min. 125) 140 to 190 μm; appendages, 40 to 80 μm; asci, 60 to 80 (max. 100) × (min. 30) 35 to 50 (max. 55) μm; and ascospores 15 to 25 (max. 30) × 10 to 15 μm. Nuclear rDNA sequence data was obtained for ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2 regions using primers PMITS1 and PMITS2. A BLASTn search revealed that the data (430 bp) obtained (GenBank Accession No. KF258718) exactly matched respective sequences of Sawadaea tulasnei (AB193363, AB193385, AB193390, AB193391, and EU247884), and differed from respective sequence data for S. bicornis (AB193380) by 22 nucleotides. S. tulasnei is a European species previously found on maples including Acer platanoides. However, this pathogen has been reported only rarely in North America in the states of New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and the province of Quebec (2,3,4). Although not likely to seriously affect the growth or survival of established trees, severe powdery mildew can detract from the aesthetic value of trees. Further, S. tulasnei might seriously damage small seedlings, and detection of this exotic pathogen in nurseries should restrict movement of stock. To our knowledge, this is the first report of S. tulasnei in western North America, and it indicates the distribution of this pathogen is transcontinental. Specimens have been deposited in the U.S. National Fungus Collections (BPI 892675). References (1) U. Braun. The Powdery Mildews (Erysiphales) of Europe. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena-Stuttgart-New York, 1995. (2) S. Hirose, et al. Mycol. Res. 109:912, 2005. (3) B. Hudelson, et al. Plant Dis. 92:485, 2008. (4) J. Weiland and G. Stanosz. Plant Dis. 90:830, 2006.