PCR technique to detect citrus greening bacterium (Liberobacter asiaticum)
A rapid and efficient PCR technique has been developed in Taiwan to detect citrus greening bacterium (EPPO A1 quarantine pest) in citrus samples from Asia. This method could detect in 6 hours the Asian form of citrus greening bacterium (L. asiaticum) in citrus samples from various Asian countries but gave negative result with one sample from South Africa (infected by the other form of citrus greening: L. africanum). So according to these first results the PCR primer pair used in this PCR technique is probably specific to L. asiaticum.
Sources
Hung, T.H.; Wu, M.L.; Su, H.J. (1999) Development of a rapid method for the diagnosis of citrus greening disease using the polymerase chain reaction.
Journal of Phytopathology, 147(10), 599-604.