Project Number: 5302-22000-010-08
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Sep 01, 2010
End Date: Aug 31, 2014

Objective:
Culture ZC Liberibacter bacterium and confirm its pathogenicity.

Approach:
The initial goal is to establish an in planta culture of Liberibacter. For in vitro culture, standard procedure for cultivation of fastidious prokaryotes will be followed. Liber A medium will be used as a starting point for cultivation. Growth of Liberibacter will be monitored by standard microbiological methods and by PCR detection. If Liberibacter is detected by PCR, various cultivation conditions and media compositions will be optimized for bacterial growth. Bacteria will be triple-cloned to obtain pure cultures. Transmission electron microscopy will be used for morphological characterization. Bacteriophages will also be explored for their relationships to pathogenicity.