Hypovirulence is a specific biological control method of chestnut blight, a lethal disease of American and European chestnut. The causal pathogen of chestnut blight is Cryphonectria parasitica, a fungus of Asian origin and an A2 quarantine organism in Europe. The disease has been reported since 1990 in Portugal, one of the last European countries where the pathogen was introduced. The chestnut ...

Cryphonectria havanensis is a fungus associated with Eucalyptus species in Cuba and Florida (U.S.A.). Until recently, there have been no living cultures of C. havanensis and it has thus not been possible to assess its taxonomic status. Isolates thought to represent this fungus have, however, emerged from surveys of Eucalyptus in Mexico and Hawaii (U.S.A.). Results of this study showed that thes...

A viral double-stranded RNA associated with virulence attenuation (hypovirulence) in the chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) has been shown by DNA-mediated transformation to be responsible for transmissible hypovirulence. In addition to reduced virulence, the fungal strain harboring this virus exhibits a diverse array of characteristics, termed hypovirulence-associated traits, whi...

The effect of 50 % ethanolic extract of Alectra parasitica var. Chirakutensis was assessed in different acute gastric ulcer models in rats. Alectra parasitica administered orally at dose levels of 50 – 200 mg/kg, twice daily for 3 days showed dose dependent ulcer protective effect 48.89 – 82.22% protection on aspirin -induced acute ulcers. Besides, Alectra parasitica reduced the ulcer index wit...