Isolation of Cytopathic Small Round Virus (Aichi Virus) from Pakistani Children and Japanese Travelers from Southeast Asia

Aichi virus was isolated in Vero cells from 5 (2.3%) of 222 Pakistani children with gastroenteritis but none was found in 91 healthy children. Aichi virus was also isolated from 5 (0.7%) of 722 Japanese travelers returned from tours to Southeast Asian countries and complained of gastrointestinal symptoms at the quarantine station of Nagoya International Airport in Japan. Of 5 Japanese travelers, 3 were returning from Indonesia, and 2 from Thailand or Malaysia. These results indicate that Aichi virus or a similar agent is endemic in Southeast Asian countries and is a cause of gastrointestinal symptoms in children in these areas or in Japanese travelers who visit there.     

Environmental weeds in Australia and New Zealand: issues and approaches to management

Environmental weeds are plants that invade natural ecosystems and are considered to be a serious threat to nature conservation. Australia and New Zealand, where biota with a high degree of endemism have evolved, are particularly susceptible to environmental weeds. Environmental weeds have been implicated in the extinction of several indigenous plant species, and they also threaten ecosystem stability and functional complexity. Historically, emphasis has been placed on the chemical or manual ‘control’ of weed infestations, often with little consideration of the long‐term effectiveness or the ecological consequences of such an approach. As the threat from environmental weeds is becoming more fully recognized, an integrated, strategic and ecological approach to weed management is being recommended. In both countries, systems for screening new plants before allowing entry for cultivation have been developed. For already established plants, management is conducted within a legislative and policy framework such as the Regional Pest Management Strategies that operate through the Biosecurity Act 1993 in New Zealand. Noxious weed legislation in Australia has historically focused on agricultural weeds, but some Acts are (or have recently been) undergoing revision to give greater emphasis to environmental weeds and the involvement of the community in weed management. Quarantine, legislation, research and on‐ground management are complemented by education programmes about the impact and control of environmental weeds. This paper provides an overview of the ‘tool‐kit’ needed to manage environmental weeds in Australia and New Zealand, comparing and contrasting the approaches taken in the two countries. It also provides a broad framework for the case studies that make up this special issue on the ecology and management of environmental weeds in both countries.     

Sequence Tag Site and Host Range Assays Demonstrate that Radapholus similis and R. citraphilus are not Reproductively Isolated

Males of citrus-parasitic Radopholus citrophilus (FL1) were mated with non-citrus-parasitic R. similis (FL5) females. Progeny inherited a 2.4-kb sequence tag site (DK#1) and the ability to reproduce in citrus from the paternal parent (FLl); both traits were absent in the maternal line (FL5). The hybrid progeny produced offspring in roots of citrus seedlings over an 8-month period and therefore were considered reproductively viable. Genomic DNA hybridization studies indicated that one or more copies of DK#1 were present in R. citrophilus FL1. It is not likely that DK#1 represents a citrus parasitism gene because it was amplified from some burrowing nematode isolates that did not parasitize citrus and because DK#1 contains no open reading frames. Inability to reliably test individual nematodes for their ability to parasitize citrus was a constraint to obtaining F2 data required for definitive genetic characterization of citrus parasitism in burrowing nematodes, and alternate approaches will be required. Although the physical relationship of DK#1 and the citrus parasitism locus remains undefined, results of controlled mating studies using these parameters as genetic markers enabled us to identify hybrid F₁ progeny. Therefore, R. similis and R. citrophilus are not sibling species since gene flow between the two does not appear to be restricted via geographic isolation (sympatric in Florida) or by genetics.     

A Cocktail ELISA Semi‐nested RT‐PCR Assay to Detect Bean pod mottle virus in Soya bean Seeds

Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) has been identified as an important pathogen for plant quarantine in China because large quantities of soya bean seeds (approximately 7 × 10⁷ tons) are imported annually. To develop a practical detection programme for BPMV, a cocktail enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) nested RT‐PCR using a combination of serological and molecular methods was designed for soya bean seeds. The single‐vessel detection assay was performed in a 96‐well ELISA plate, which served as a carrier for the subsequent nested RT‐PCR assay. Assay specificity was demonstrated by the production of the expected 330‐ and 296‐bp bands using the external and internal primers, respectively. This method was 10⁴‐fold more sensitive than immunocapture‐RT‐PCR (IC‐RT‐PCR). In particular, it is important to note that this assay resulted in successful micro‐extraction from soya bean seeds and combined the advantages of each individual technique. The cocktail ELISA nested RT‐PCR is a specific, sensitive, rapid and economical procedure to rapidly identify and characterize BPMV and could be suitable for both primary‐level platforms and laboratories.     

First finding of a quarantine pest,Atherigona (Acritochaeta) orientalis Schiner (Diptera: Muscidae), in Korea

The invasive quarantine pest fly, Atherigona (Acritochaeta) orientalis Schiner, is observed for the first time in tomato greenhouses in Gyeongsangbuk‐do, Korea. The genus Atherigona Rondani is also newly added to Korean fauna. Allium tuberosum is listed as a new host crop for this species. Some morphological characteristics for accurate identification and host lists are given to provide plant quarantine information for pest management.     

我国植物病原真菌最新研究进展——植物病原真菌专刊序言

本期《菌物学报》"植物病原真菌专刊"刊登了12篇文章,其中关于病原真菌种类调查、鉴定及形态描述的文章5篇,病原真菌检测与检疫的文章2篇,病原真菌种群结构的文章2篇,基因组学研究进展的文章3篇。本期内容基本体现了我国植物病原真菌研究的最新进展,对今后的植物病原菌形态分类、分子分析和基因组学研究都具有重要的参考价值。     

Response of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to potassium oleate water solution

Abstract In contrast to floating on the surface of distilled water, ants were immediately submerged after being placed in the potassium oleate (PO) water solution, which led to immobilization within minutes. However, some workers survived after being immersed in 0.03% PO water solution at 25°C for up to 640 min. Elevated temperature of the PO water solution is needed to kill ants within a shorter time frame. At 50°C and 0.13% PO concentration, total mortality was achieved with 10-min immersion for all ants, including brood and adult ants. Soil has a negative effect on the effectiveness of potassium oleate; however, such negative effect can be overcome by increasing either treatment temperature or duration of the treatment. In addition to immobilizing and lethal effect, PO repels ants. PO may have the potential to be incorporated into immersion treatment for the quarantine of imported fire ants to reduce the use of synthetic contact insecticides.     

Oviposition and development potential of the spotted‐wing drosophila,Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), on uninjured Campbell Early grape

The spotted‐wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), originally distributed across a few Asian countries including South Korea, has invaded North America and Europe but is absent from Australia. In order to export the South Korean grape cultivar Campbell Early to Australia, its potential to serve as an oviposition and development medium for SWD must first be determined. In this study, we determined the oviposition and development potential of SWD on Campbell Early, after elucidating the SWD life cycle and establishing an artificial diet‐based mass‐culturing system. An investigation of the life cycle under five temperature regimes (16, 19, 22, 25 and 28°C) showed that the durations of the egg, larval and adult stages were shortened when temperature was increased from 16, 19, 22, 25 and 28°C, but pupal duration was shortest at 25°C and extended again at 28°C. A test of oviposition and development potential of SWD on Campbell Early grape clusters showed oviposition of 30.8 ± 6.8 eggs per cluster of injured grapes and 157.7 ± 16.2 eggs on a culture dish of artificial diet. However, in a similar experiment using uninjured grape clusters, only a single egg was deposited on the grape skin, which soon dried. In light of these results, newly harvested grapes left at vineyards during daily harvests are unlikely to serve as an oviposition and development medium for SWD, as long as the grapes remain uninjured.     

深圳口岩进口原木截获的白蚁（等翅目）

记录深圳口岸1998－2001年期间从进口原本中截获的3科7属12种白蚁,包括黄檀新白蚁Neotermes dalbergiae (Kalshoven),大家白蚁Comptotermes curvignathus Holmgren,塞庞乳白蚁C.sepangensis Krishna,波罗乳白蚁C.borneensis Oshima,非洲乳白蚁C.sjostedti Holmgren,沙捞越长鼻白蚁Schedorhinotermes sarawakensis (Holmgren),中暗长鼻白蚁S.mediobscurus (Holmgren),哈氏象白蚁Nastutitermes havilandi (Desneux),镰锯白蚁Microcerotermes distans (Havilandi),邻白蚁Termes propinquus (Holmgren), 印度弓白蚁Amitermes belli (Desneux)和齿弓白蚁A.dentatus (Havilandi)。编制了分种检索表,并对上述国内没有分布的白蚁种类兵蚁的形态和鉴定特征作了描述的图示。     

进口竹藤中竹长蠹五近似种的鉴别(鞘翅目:长蠹科)

介绍了近年从进口竹藤检疫中多次截获的5种竹长蠹:双窝竹长蠹 Dinoderus bifoveolatus (Wollaston)、小竹长蠹D. brevis Horn、日本竹长蠹D. japonicus Lesne、竹长蠹D. minutus Fabricius及小点竹长蠹D. ocellari Stephens,分别介绍了头、前胸背板、鞘翅、腹面及足的主要鉴别特征,并编制了这5个近似种的检索表.