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In western Europe, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense is emerging as a causal agent of blackleg disease. In field experiments in the Netherlands, the virulence of this pathogen was compared with strains of other Dickeya and Pectobacterium species. In 2013 and 2014, seed potato tubers were vacuum infiltrated with high densities of bacteria (106 CFU mL-1) and planted in clay soil. Inoculation with P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense and P. atrosepticum resulted in high disease incidences (75-95%), inoculation with D. solani and P. wasabiae led to incidences between 5% and 25%, but no significant disease development was observed in treatments with P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, D. dianthicola or the water control. Co-inoculations of seed potatoes with P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense and D. solani gave a similar disease incidence to inoculation with only P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense. However, coinoculation of P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense with P. wasabiae resulted in a decrease in disease incidence compared to inoculation with only P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense. In 2015, seed potatoes were inoculated with increasing densities of P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense, D. solani or P. atrosepticum (103-106 CFU mL-1). After vacuum infiltration, even a low inoculum density resulted in high disease incidence. However, immersion without vacuum caused disease only at high bacterial densities. Specific TaqMan assays were evaluated and developed for detection of P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense, P. wasabiae and P. atrosepticum and confirmed the presence of these pathogens in progeny tubers of plants derived from vacuum-infiltrated seed tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) (9 +/- 4 years; 27 homozygous SCD [HbSS]; 19 sickle-C disease [HbSC]) have different folate status compared with age-, sex-, and race-matched normal hemoglobin (HbAA) controls (n = 20), and whether their folate status can be improved by folate supplementation. The patients were supplemented with vitamins B6 and B12 during one week and with folate during the following week. Circulating folate, homocysteine, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 levels were measured at baseline (patients and controls), after one week and after two weeks (patients). The patients had similar folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, but higher homocysteine levels compared with HbAA controls (12.7 +/- 4.5 vs. 10.9 +/- 3.5 micromol/l; P = 0.04). Vitamin B6 and B12 supplementation did not change their homocysteine levels, but folate supplementation caused a 53% reduction (to 5.7 +/- 1.6). We conclude that patients with SCD have adequate vitamin B6 and B12 status, but suboptimal folate status, leading to elevated plasma homocysteine levels. They may therefore benefit from folate supplementation to reduce their high risk for endothelial damage.