Monitoring of Erwinia amylovora in Montenegro

Abstract

Recent studies of Erwinia amylovora in Montenegro, conducted from 2012 to 2014, indicated that the bacterium was widespread in the northern, continental part of the country, where the most important fruit-growing regions are situated. The presence of the bacterium was confirmed on quince, pear, apple, medlar and hawthorn. Pathogenic, cultural and biochemical characteristics of E. amylovora strains sampled from pome fruit species and indigenous flora in Montenegro had been studied previously. In the present study, serological tests were used for identification of E. amylovora strains originating from pome fruit trees and indigenous plants. Monitoring of E. amylovora and collection of samples with symptoms of bacterial fire blight from different hosts and locations were performed in Montenegro from 2012 to 2014. Isolation of the bacterium on nutrient medium produced a large number of isolates, whose pathogenicity was confirmed on immature pear fruits. Twenty-seven strains of the bacterium, originating from three pome fruit species (quince, pear and apple) and one indigenous species (hawthorn) were selected for serological analyses. Two applied serological methods, ELISA and IF test, enabled rapid detection of the bacterium and simultaneous examination of a large number of samples over a short period of time. Serological analyses showed high homogeneity in antigenic structure of the studied E. amylovora strains sampled from quince, pear, apple and hawthorn from nine locations in Montenegro.

Novija proučavanja Erwinia amylovora u Crnoj Gori, sprovedena u periodu od 2012 do 2014. godine, pokazuju da je ova bakterija široko rasprostranjena u severnom, kontinentalnom delu zemlje, gde se nalaze i najznačajniji voćarski regioni. Prisustvo bakterije potvrđeno je na dunji, krušci, jabuci, mušmuli i glogu. U prethodnim istraživanjima proučene su patogene, odgajivačke i biohemijske odlike sojeva E. amylovora poreklom sa jabučastih voćnih vrsta i biljaka spontane flore u Crnoj Gori. U ovom radu primenjeni su serološki testovi u identifikaciji sojeva E. amylovora poreklom sa jabučastih voćaka i biljaka spontane flore. Monitoring E. amylovora i sakupljanje uzoraka sa simptomima bakteriozne plamenjače izvršeno je u periodu od 2012 do 2014. godine, sa različitih domaćina i lokaliteta u Crnoj Gori. Izolacijom bakterije na hranljive podloge dobijen je veći broj izolata, čija je patogenost potvrđena na zelenim plodovima kruške. Za serološke analize odabrano je 27 sojeva ove bakterije, poreklom sa tri jabučaste voćne vrste (dunja, kruška i jabuka) i jedne vrste iz spontane flore (glog). Primenjene su dve serološke metode: ELISA i IF test, koje su omogućile brzu detekciju bakterije i istovremeno ispitivanje velikog broja uzoraka za kratko vreme. Serološkim analizama utvrđena je visoka homogenost u antigenoj strukturi proučavanih sojeva E. amylovora poreklom sa dunje, kruške, jabuke i gloga, iz 9 lokaliteta u Crnoj Gori.