APS BACTERIOLOGY COMMITTEE

1997 APS ANNUAL MEETING

Rochester, NY

Meeting Minutes

Saturday, August 9, 1997

Current Committee Chair: Mark Wilson (mwilson@acesag.auburn.edu

Immediate Past Chair: Donald Kobayashi (kobayashi@ocelot.rutgers.edu)

Current Vice-Chair: Wesley Chun (wchun@uidaho.edu)

Current Committee Members:

C. T. Bull, D. Coplin, L. W. Keith, I. M. Lee, C. H. Liao, R. Loria, P. S. McManus, L. S. Pierson, D. P. Roberts, R. Yucel.

Outgoing Committee Members:

C. Allen, N. Quigley, N. W. Schaad.

Annual Report:

• Call to Order: The meeting was called to order on August 9, 1997 at 8:05 p.m. by Mark Wilson.
• Attendees:
1. Members: C. T. Bull, W. Chun, D. Coplin, I.-M. Lee, P. McManus, M. Wilson.
2. Visitors: A. Alvarez, G. Beattie, Y. Berthier-Schaad, S. Beck von Bodman, J. Chen, D. Cooksey, M. Davis, S. de Boer, J. Fletcher, G. Hoyos, J. Jones, J. Kwan, G. Lacey, Z. Luo, W. Mahaffee, S. Miller, R. Penalver, R. Phillippe, A. Poplawsky, C. Press, N. Schaad, G. Sundin, J. Yu
• Old Business
1. Approval of minutes from 1996 meeting: Minutes were reviewed and approved by a majority of attendees (Motioned by D. Coplin, seconded by J. Jones).
2. 1997 Colloquium Announcement: M. Wilson reminded everyone of the Bacteriology Committee-sponsored colloquium chaired by J. Fletcher in the 1997 APS Program
• New Business
• Laboratory Guide for the Identification of Phytopathogenic Bacteria - N. Schaad led the discussion.
• Editorial Assignments
• Chapters I, II-C, II-F, and III-C: J. Jones
• Chapters II-A, II-B, and II-D: N. Schaad
• Chapters II-E, II-B, III-A, and IV: W. Chun
• Time table
• First Draft due Feb. 1, 1998.
• Second Draft due July 1, 1998.
• Final Draft due Nov. 1, 1998.
• Format
• Spiral with end cover or bound book.
• Organization
1. Introduction
2. Individual chapters
3. Color illustrations (slides)
4. Index
5. Listing of sources of chemicals and special supplies
6. List of E-mail addresses
• Table of Contents
• Initial Identification of Common Genera - N. Schaad, F. Louws
• Gram-Negative Bacteria
1. Agrobacterium - L. Moore, H. Bouzar, T. Burr
2. Erwinia
1. Amylovora or non-soft rot group - A. Jones, S. Beer
2. Carotovora or soft-rot group - A. Chatterjee, S. de Boer
3. Pantoea - D. Coplin, C. Kado
4. Pseudomonas (fluorescent) - D. Sands
5. Acidovorax, Burkholderia, and Ralstonia (non-fluorescent pseudomonads) J. Jones, W. Chun
6. Xanthomonas - N. Schaad, R. Stall
7. Xylella - D. Hopkins
8. Rhizomonas - A. van Bruggen
• Gram-positive bacteria
1. Coryneform - A. Vidaver, M. Davis
2. Streptomyces - R. Loria
3. Bacillus and Clostridia - W. Chun, A Vidaver
• Cell Wall-Free Bacteria - R. Davis, I. Lee, J. Fletcher
• Index
• New unclassified prokaryotes - M. Davis

• Each chapter will be organized as folllows:
1. Introduction.
2. Isolation techniques using selective media.
3. Differentiation of commonly isolated species and sub-species.
4. Diagnostic media and tests.
5. Rapid molecular techniques.
6. Pathogenicity tests.
7. Literature cited.
8. Chemicals and materials.
• Discussion of Laboratory Guide.
1. Expert review - specialists for each genera are asked to volunteer to serve as expert and user reviewers of the third draft of the manual.
1. Volunteers at meeting: Pseudomonas - C. Bull.
2. User Reviewer: D. Cooksey, G. Lacy.
2. D. Sands motioned to have the manual available on disk or on the WEB. The motioned passed (12 to 0) to explore a WEB version of the Manual.
3. N. Schaad suggested that the committee pursue development of a test series for each genera that is similar in concept to the LOPAT tests for fluorescent pseudomonads. A. Vidaver suggested that the committee seek a grant from Funds for Rural America to pursue this.
4. Molecular methods, if available and proven would be added to each chapter. Emphasis should still be on identification with simple tests that can be used in a general bacteriology laboratory.
5. Each chapter should also discuss "limitations of the method" as needed.
6. Dennis Gross should be contacted about the slide set for potential material to be included into the manual.
7. A questionnaire will be send to Bacteriology Committee members to solicit problems that they may have encountered with the use of the second edition of the manual.

• Genome Project - D. Sands requested input from the committee for the organism of choice for a genome project that will be supported with federal funding. Suggestions were: Agrobacterium and PS2000.
• APHIS bacterial importation list - Dr. A. Rizvi (USDA/APHIS) requested the completion of a list of phytopathogenic bacteria endemic to each state. A subcommittee was formed, APS/APHIS Bacteria Working Group, consisting of A. Alvarez, W. Chun, C. Ishimaru, and N. Schaad will seek completion of the process. APHIS will provide funds in support of this effort ($10,000). An ad hoc committee (A. Alvarez, N. Schaad, and A. Vidaver) was formed to draft and review guidelines for handling high risk exotic bacterial pathogens.
• Bacteriology Committee Membership - M. Wilson made a valiant attempt to clarify the term of committee membership. The term starts at the first annual meeting after nomination and approval of membership by APS and continues for three years (three annual meetings) through to the day prior to the fourth annual meeting.
• Online Symposia on APSNET - C. Bull (also a member of the electronic transfer committee) raised the possibility of initiating a committee discussion area for broad based topics. W. Chun will look into using this as a forum for a discussion on the pathovar nomenclature for Xanthomonas.
• Topics for APS/ESA Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada
1. Andrew Bent (Biochemistry, Physiology and Molecular Biology Committee) proposed sponsoring a joint Symposium on Molecular Signaling. Individual subject matter to include Type III secretion systems, cell death, jasminate, plant attractants and herbivore effects. The Bacteriology Committee voted unanimously in support of this proposal.
2. N. Schaad proposed "Biological Perspectives of Insect Vectored Bacterial Phytopathogenesis" as a co-sponsored Symposium/Discussion/Colloquium with an ESA Committee.
3. Insect-Vectored Exotic Pathogens was also chosen to be put forth as a proposal for the 1998 Annual Meeting.
4. A Symposium on Type III secretion systems was deferred as a topic for the 1999 Annual Meeting.
5. C. Bull proposed "What is Pathogenicity?" for 1999 Discussion session.
6. D. Coplin will serve as the organizer for a 1999 discussion forum on Teaching Phytobacteriology.

Announcements:

• S. de Boer announced the 10^th International Congress on Phytopathogenic Bacteria on July 23-27, 2000 in Charlottetown, Canada.

New Members:

• Reid Frederick, Chris Lamb, Al Poplawsky, Jeff Jones, Tianchi Chen.

Walt Mahaffee was elected to serve as vice-chair at the 1998 meeting.

• Conclusion:

The Bacteriology Committee (APS) is an active group of researchers with several projects in process. Subcommittees and working groups have been organized to publish the third edition of the Laboratory Guide for the Identification of Phytopathogenic Bacteria, develop a bacteriology laboratory teaching manual, develop APHIS/APS import/export regulations, and sponsor or propose symposia/discussion/colloquium sessions at APS meetings. In addition to these activities, the Bacteriology Committee will also initiate discussions to resolve recent proposed taxonomic changes of several plant pathogenic bacteria. The Bacteriology Committee was highly productive in 1997 and will continue to do so in 1998.

The "Laboratory Guide" will be a major update from the second edition and has enlisted the participation by a large set of APS bacteriologists with national and international recognition. Anticipated publication date is in 1999. A "Laboratory Teaching Manual" is a new tool for teaching practical plant bacteriology that is now in the developmental stage. Near completion is a state-by-state list of endemic bacterial pathogens that will be used to expedite import and export of bacterial cultures between researchers. In 1997, the Committee sponsored a colloquium, moderated by J. Fletcher on "New Perspectives on Phytopathogenic Mollicutes." A funded discussion session on "Insect Relationships and Epidemiology of Fastidious Prokaryotic Pathogens" was put forth as a co-sponsored symposium with the ESA's section C (Ecology and Behavior) subsection Cc (Insects and Plant Disease) for the upcoming APS/ESA meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lastly, resolution of bacterial taxonomy/nomenclature remains an important issue for the committee. Discussions on the APSNet or somewhere else (whichever can get set up the quickest) will soon be in operation.

• Committee Self Evaluation:

The Bacteriology Committee is bustling with activity with a large number of participants that include members and interested nonmembers. The number of active projects and the relative importance of resulting products suggest that this committee provides valuable insight and direction in the area of bacterial plant pathology. Additionally, the Committee recognizes and has an agenda to enhance training of future bacteriologists. Thus, APS will derive significant benefits from continued activity by the Bacteriology Committee.








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Respectfully submitted by W. Chun, 10/7/97.