17th Meeting of the EPPO Panel on Diagnostics in Bacteriology

Angers (FR), 2012-11-20/22

                                                
The Panel meeting was hosted by the Plant Health Laboratory (LSV), part of ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail, French risk assessment authority) in Angers (FR). The Panel continued its task of developing diagnostic protocols for regulated bacterial plant diseases, and was followed by a meeting of the European association of phytobacteriologists.

 


   

General discussions

The Panel reviewed the instructions to authors in particular the Appendix on the description of media. A new version is now posted on the EPPO website in the section “Standards”. The Panel was informed about the requests made to EPPO to host EUPHRESCO Secretariat and the Q-bank database from 2014 onwards.

 

Discussions on pest specific diagnostic protocols 

The Panel reviewed the new protocols on Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, 'Candidatus Liberibacter', as well as a revision of PM 7/060 on Pantoea stewartii. Authors will prepare a revised version to be sent for country consultation in 2013. No progress was made on the protocol on Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. allii. The Panel finalized the last details of the protocol PM 7/20 on Erwinia amylovora and of the new protocol on Xanthomonas spp. causing bacterial spot on tomato and sweet pepper. These protocols which have been adopted at the last EPPO Council Session will be published in the EPPO Bulletin in April 2013.

 

Horizontal standards in preparation 

General diagnostic standards PM 7/84 Basic requirements for quality management in plant pest diagnosis laboratories and PM 7/98 Specific requirements for laboratories preparing accreditation for a plant pest diagnostic activity are currently under revision, and the main objective of the revision were presented. The results of the survey on these EPPO Standards were presented and it was noted that the feedback was generally positive.

 

Technical visit 

Participants were offered a visit of the laboratoire de santé des végétaux and of the French Collection of Plant associated bacteria (CFBP). To know more about the CFBP visit their website.

 

Next meeting 

The next meeting of the Panel on Diagnostics in Bacteriology will be held in the first half of 2014.