Certain human bacterial pathogens such as the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica are not proven to be plant pathogens yet. Nonetheless, under certain conditions they can survive on, penetrate into, and colonize internal plant tissues causing serious food borne disease outbreaks. In this review, we highlight current understanding on the molecular mechanisms of plant respo...

Epidemiology of vectored plant pathogens involves the plant, the pathogens, the vectors, and the environment, all interacting in various ways. Often, an understanding is needed of seasonal cycles of host plants, pathogens, and vectors. For example, pathogens and vectors important to an annual crop may have non-crop reservoirs between harvest and re-planting. Vectors may overwinter in the crop, ...

In the last ten years there has been an explosion in plant virus outbreaks, because of either direct or indirect activities of humans. The ease of transporting plant materials and virus vectors, and collecting relatives of crop plants from the wild, has spread viruses widely throughout the world. The most important step in managing a virus disease is correct identification. Tests for diagnosis ...

The production of low-molecular-weight antimicrobial molecules within plants is one component of defense against pathogens. Among them, preformed antimicrobial compounds (phytoanticipins) are the first biochemical barriers against pathogens. Saponins (a group of phytoanticipins) are present constitutively in plants and play important roles in plant defense. A variety of biological roles have be...