PCR species-specific primers for molecular gut content analysis to determine the contribution of generalist predators to the biological control of the vector of Xylella fastidiosa

The European Union (EU) is facing the recent arrival of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. Its fast spread has caused great alarm because of the economic impact it implies for the agroeconomy of European countries. Among its insect vectors, Philaenus spumarius has been demonstrated to transmit the ba...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lantero, E., Matallanas, B., Pascual, Susana, Callejas, C.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/291183
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/291183
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Olea europaea
Predation
Xylella fastidiosa
Philaenus spumarius
DNA
Primers
Specificity
Sensitivity
Cytochrome oxidase subunit I
Descripción
Sumario:The European Union (EU) is facing the recent arrival of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. Its fast spread has caused great alarm because of the economic impact it implies for the agroeconomy of European countries. Among its insect vectors, Philaenus spumarius has been demonstrated to transmit the bacterium from infected to uninfected trees in the EU, where different measures have been established to control it. One of the proposals to manage this vector is the augmentation of natural enemy populations. However, the identification of candidate predator species is essential if such a management system is to be introduced. The present paper describes a set of species-specific primers designed to detect the presence of P. spumarius DNA in soil arthropod fauna generalist predators’ gut which can reveal candidate species for the pest’s biological control. Such primers have been proven to be a useful and reliable taxonomic tool for P. spumarius identification at any life stage, i.e., nymphs. This rapid and accurate identification is essential for control strategies designed to avoid the spread of the pest and consequently the considerable economic losses it causes in crops.