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Pathogenic Microbiology Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology

The Molecular Detection Of Sphaerulina Vaccinii: A Leaf Spot Pathogen Of Lowbush Blueberry, Zoe Colwell May 2024

The Molecular Detection Of Sphaerulina Vaccinii: A Leaf Spot Pathogen Of Lowbush Blueberry, Zoe Colwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sphaerulina vaccinii is a fungal leaf spot pathogen of lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, causing Sphaerulina leaf spot. Infection by this pathogen results in symptoms of dark lesions on the leaves and stems in either of the crop cycle years. Severe infection by this pathogen is thought to result in decreased fruit retention and yield. As wild blueberries are central to Maine’s economy, reliable disease identification is essential for using suitable management strategies to control disease. Molecular-based methods for pathogen differentiation have been used efficiently to identify fungal pathogens in economically important crops. To develop a molecular-based method to identify …


Dynamic Host-Pathogen Interactions Result In Fungal Epitope Unmasking, Alex Hopke Aug 2016

Dynamic Host-Pathogen Interactions Result In Fungal Epitope Unmasking, Alex Hopke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular camouflage is used by a diverse set of pathogens to disguise their identity and avoid recognition by protective host receptors. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans is a good example, as it masks the inflammatory component β-glucan in its cell wall to evade detection by the immune receptor Dectin-1. Interestingly, it has been seen that β-glucan becomes unmasked during infection in vivo, though the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Exposure levels of this epitope may be important, as Dectin-1 mediates protection from some strains of C. albicans and alterations in the organization and composition of the Candida cell wall …