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Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2007 Publication Date: 8/1/2007 Citation: Luster, D.G. 2007. Pathogen threat assessment is predictive plant pathology. Phytopathology. 97:S137 Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The American Society of Plant Pathologists has maintained a formal effort to prioritize threatening and emerging crop pathogens for over 70 years, and the APS Emerging Pathogens and Diseases Committee is continuing the process. In order to accomplish prioritization in a rigorous fashion, criteria must be developed to assess critical aspects of a pathogen threats, risks and costs, in advance of an introduction. While the development of criteria addressing pathways of introduction, economic costs, and social issues is relatively straightforward, the generation of criteria encompassing all biological factors involved in the introduction of a pathogen is more complex. Criteria development for biological factors is based upon the disease triangle, in that criteria are designed to help predict whether a new pathogen genotype could establish, reproduce and spread in a new climate on susceptible host plants. Moreover, in order to be useful in assessing the relative risk posed by an introduction, quantitative scales must be developed to serve as metrics for the individual biological factors. The quantitation of critical biological factors is complicated by differences in pathogen taxonomy, life cycle environment, and host. This presentation will address recent efforts by the APS EPDC to develop robust, quantitative criteria for pathogen prioritization. |
