Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil, ACW, Plant Protection Division, Swiss National Competence Center for Fire Blight, Schloss, CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.
J Microbiol Methods. 2011 Oct;87(1):1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2011.06.015. Epub 2011 Jul 1.
Fire blight is an invasive disease caused by Erwinia amylovora that threatens pome fruit production globally. Effective implementation of phytosanitary control measures depends upon rapid, reliable pathogen detection and disease diagnosis. We developed a lateral-flow immunoassay specific for E. amylovora with a detection limit of log 5.7 CFU/ml, typical of pathogen concentrations in symptomatic plant material. The simple assay had comparable sensitivity to standard culture plating, serum agglutination and nested PCR when validated for application in a phytosanitary laboratory as a confirmatory test of cultured isolates and for first-line diagnosis of phytosanitary samples that represent the full range of commercial, ornamental and forestry host species. On-site validation in ring-trials with local plant inspectors demonstrated robust and reliable detection (compared to subsequent plating and PCR analysis). The simplicity, inspector acceptance and facilitation of expedited diagnosis (from 2 days for laboratory submitted samples to 15 min with the immunoassay), offers a valuable tool for improved phytosanitary control of fire blight.
火疫病是一种由韧皮部杆菌引起的入侵性疾病，它威胁着全球的核果生产。植物检疫控制措施的有效实施取决于快速、可靠的病原体检测和疾病诊断。我们开发了一种针对韧皮部杆菌的侧向流动免疫分析，检测限为 log5.7 CFU/ml，这是症状性植物材料中病原体浓度的典型值。该简单的检测方法在验证应用于植物检疫实验室时，与标准培养平板、血清凝集和巢式 PCR 具有相当的灵敏度，可作为培养分离物的确认试验，以及对代表商业、观赏和林业寄主物种的全部范围的植物检疫样本进行一线诊断。在与当地植物检查员的环试验中进行的现场验证表明，该检测方法具有稳健和可靠的检测能力（与随后的平板和 PCR 分析相比）。该检测方法的简单性、检查员的接受程度以及加快诊断的便利性（从实验室提交的样本的 2 天到免疫分析的 15 分钟），为改善火疫病的植物检疫控制提供了一种有价值的工具。
