Movement of Sudden Oak Death Pathogen

The sudden oak death disease which has been infecting oak and tanoak tress in the coastal California forests and urban areas of San Francisco has been the focus of a four year research by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) –Agricultural Research Scientists scientists in Corvallis, Oregon. To develop an effective strategy to combat the disease and to control its spread, the scientists have to determine its source and movement.

The scientists collected samples of the sudden oak death disease pathogen Phytophthora ramorum from nurseries on the West Coast and across the country. Through genetic fingerprinting, they have found that the fungal strains in Oregon and Washington have different genetics from the ones in California. These results are related to the shipment records of infected plants provided by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. It is hoped that the ongoing investigation could help scientists in tracking the movement of the pathogen around the country and the world.

See the article at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090918.htm