Molecular Epidemiology of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria Strains from the Balkan Peninsula Revealed by a New Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis Scheme

Vancheva, Taca and Bogatzevska, Nevena and Moncheva, Penka and Mitrev, Sasa and Vernière, Christian and Koebnik, Ralf (2021) Molecular Epidemiology of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria Strains from the Balkan Peninsula Revealed by a New Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis Scheme. Microorganisms, 9 (3). pp. 1-19.

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Abstract

Bacterial spot of pepper and tomato is caused by at least three species of Xanthomonas,
among them two pathovars of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, which are responsible for significant yield
losses on all continents. In order to trace back the spread of bacterial spot pathogens within and
among countries, we developed the first multilocus variable number of tandem repeat analyses
(MLVA) scheme for pepper- and tomato-pathogenic strains of X. euvesicatoria. In this work, we
assessed the repeat numbers by DNA sequencing of 16 tandem repeat loci and applied this new
tool to analyse a representative set of 88 X. euvesicatoria pepper strains from Bulgaria and North
Macedonia. The MLVA-16 scheme resulted in a Hunter–Gaston Discriminatory Index (HGDI) score
of 0.944 and allowed to resolve 36 MLVA haplotypes (MTs), thus demonstrating its suitability for
high-resolution molecular typing. Strains from the different regions of Bulgaria and North Macedonia
were found to be widespread in genetically distant clonal complexes or singletons. Sequence types
of the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) amplicons revealed cases of size homoplasy and
suggested the coexistence of different populations and different introduction events. The large
geographical distribution of MTs and the existence of epidemiologically closely related strains in
different regions and countries suggest long dispersal of strains on pepper in this area.
Keywords: bacterial spot; genetic diversity; molecular typing; pepper; tomato
1. Introduction
Bacterial spot, which is caused by at least three Xanthomonas species, is a threat

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Agricultural Sciences > Agricultural biotechnology
Divisions:	Faculty of Agriculture
Depositing User:	Sasa Mitrev
Date Deposited:	16 Mar 2021 12:24
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2021 12:24
URI:	https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/id/eprint/27939

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