Supercharging the radars for pathogen surveillance
D. SAUNDERS (1) (1) The Genome Analysis Centre & John Innes Centre, United Kingdom

Emerging and re-emerging diseases of humans, animals and plants pose a significant hazard to public health and food security. However, despite the recent advances in sequencing technology, the application of genomics to track emerging filamentous plant pathogens has lagged. To address this, we are leading the genome sequencing of hundreds of isolates of the wheat yellow rust pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (PST), aimed at improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive PST evolution. Furthermore, we have developed a robust and rapid “field pathogenomics” strategy to improve filamentous pathogen surveillance. Using gene sequencing of PST-infected wheat leaves taken directly from the field, this technique enabled us to gain insight into the population structure of PST over successive seasons. Our analysis uncovered a dramatic shift in the PST population in the UK and supports the hypothesis that recent introduction of a diverse set of exotic PST lineages may have displaced the previous populations. Furthermore, we identified a direct association between pathogen genotypes and host pedigrees. Working with cross-institutional and industrial partners we are now developing this technique further to reduce its cost so it can be applied routinely within pathogen surveillance programs for agroecosystems.

Abstract Number: P4-4
Session Type: Plenary