DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIES-SPECIFIC REAL-TIME PCR ASSAY FOR DIAGNOSING PANTOEA BEIJINGENSIS.

Recently, Pantoea beijingensis has become an emerging pathogen against Pleurotus eryngii, causing soft rot disease in China and Korea. A qPCR assay targeting hrpK, which is predicted to be one of the key genes for the pathogenicity and virulence of P. beijingensis, was developed and evaluated. Approximately 0.1 fg of purified plasmid or 3.23x10² copies µl^-1 in pure cultures could be detected. Moreover, the use of an enrichment procedure could induce 100-fold enhancement of the sensitivity. The qPCR assay developed here is a rapid, reliable and sensitive tool for the detection of P. beijingensis at an early stage of infection and it will be useful in the development of management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]