The ability to detect the plant pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa in its insect vector, the glassy-winged sharpshooters (Homalodisca coagulata), would be a useful tool to study and predict plant disease epidemics. Detection of this pathogen is complicated because DNA is difficult of release from the insect foregut and PCR inhibitors are present. By developing novel pre-extraction techniques and selecting the most suitable extraction protocol, we have developed methods to improve detection of this pathogen when as few as 50 bacterial cells are present.
Species 1: Homoptera Cicadellidae Homalodisca coagulata (Glassy-winged sharpshooter)
Keywords: DNA extraction
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