Ralstonia solanacearum

The bacterium may be obtained from infected tubers or stems for staining purposes if a small portion of tissue is pressed onto a clean glass slide. Potato tubers can be visually checked for internal symptoms by cutting. Suspect tubers should be diagnosed in the laboratory. Appropriate laboratory methods to detect the pathogen have been laid down in a harmonized EU-interim scheme for detection of the brown rot bacterium (Anon., 1997). These methods are based on earlier described indirect immunofluorescence antibody staining (IFAS). Standard samples of 200 tubers per 25 t of potatoes are taken (Janse, 1988;OEPP/ EPPO, 1990a;Anon., 1997, 1998, 2006). Recently a very effective selective medium has been described (Engelbrecht, 1994, and modified by Elphinstone et al., 1996), that can also be applied for detection in environmental samples such as surface water, soil and waste (Janse et al., 1998;Wenneker et al., 1999). ELISA and PCR, based on 16S rRNA targeted primers as well as fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) using 16S and 23S rRNA-targeted probes have also been used.
Ralstonia syzygii, causal agent of Sumatra disease of clove (Syzygium) and the distinct Blood Disease Bacterium, causal agent of blood disease of banana in Indonesia, are closely related to R. solanacearum and cross-react in serological and DNA-based detection methods (Wullings et al., 1998;Thwaites et al., 1999).