Tag: pathogen

Close-up of green leaves with brown spots indicating damage.

UF-led research reveals tomato disease spreading rapidly across continents


May 13, 2026

Tomatoes represent a $1.9 billion annual crop, nationwide. They’re planted on 330,000 acres across 18 states, but diseases such as bacterial spot can ravage the popular crop. Bacterial diseases pose significant threats to food security ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Bacterial Spot, Bacterial Spot Disease Of Tomato, Continents, Erica Goss, Florida, Gary Vallad, Genes, Genetic, Genetic Variation, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Pathogen, Plant Breeders, Plant Pathology, Spread, Tomatoes, Travel, Xanthomonas Euvesicatoria Pathovar Perforans
Ph.D. student Sameerika Mudiyanselage (left) and her advisor Samuel Martins (right) sampling mushrooms with bacterial blotch symptoms in a mushroom farm in the Southern United States. Photo credit: UF/IFAS Samuel Martins

DNA analyses uncover what is hiding under the cap plaguing the white button mushroom industry


May 13, 2026

UF/IFAS researchers discovered that bacterial blotch in white button mushrooms is caused by a complex of multiple bacteria, not a single pathogen as previously believed. The disease significantly impacts mushroom growers by reducing ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bacteria, Bacterial Blotch, Beneficial Microbes, Department Of Plant Pathology, Eco-friendly, Essential Oils, Farming, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Health Benefits, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Kitchen Staple, Microbial Communities, Mushrooms, News, Nutrient-dense Foods, Pathogen, Plant‑based, Romina Gazis, Sameerika Mudiyanselage, Samuel Martins, Specialty Crop, Sustainable Farming, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA-NIFA, Vegetables
Pink flowers with dark green leaves and reddish edges.

Genetic testing shows some ‘Touch-Me-Not’ flowers resist deadly disease


May 13, 2026

BALM, Fla. – If you’re impatient for impatiens, a University of Florida scientist has good news for you: Some varieties of the popular flower resist the deadly downy mildew disease better than others. Many people love to plant impatiens ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease
Tags: #aiatuf, Artificial Intelligence, Breeder, Detection, Down Mildew, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Impatiens, Ornamental, Pathogen, Plants, Zhanao Deng
Person in a hat holding a booklet stands near lush green bushes on a sunny day.

A protein can help make some citrus more tolerant to the deadly citrus greening disease – and it’s safe


May 13, 2026

Greening disease has devastated the citrus crop in Florida, but University of Florida scientists are using genes from another plant and putting them into Hamlin oranges to develop citrus plants that fight the disease. Scientists have developed ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: AtNPR1, Citrus, Citrus Greening Disease, Citrus Growers, Crop Transformation Center, Eric Triplett, Greening Resistant, Greening Tolerant, Hamlin Oranges, Microbiology And Cell Science, NuCitrus, Pathogen, Symptoms, Toxic, Transgenic, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Food And Drug Administration, USDA Research Farm, Zhonglin Mou
Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

Scientists reveal novel therapeutic approach to combat pathogens like salmonella


May 13, 2026

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing global health threat that is prompting research into alternative methods of fighting infection. University of Florida scientists exploring host-directed therapies, an increasingly common ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acinetobacter, American Society For Microbiology, Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria, Antibiotics, AZ-1, Bacteria, Cell, Daniel Czyz, Department Of Microbiology And Cell Science, Enzyme, ESKAPE Pathogens, Foodborne Illness, IFAS, Illness, Infection, Inflammation, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Klebsiella, Mariola Ferraro, MBio, Megan Winslow, Microbiology, Pathogen, Protein, Pseudomonas, Research, Salmonella, Sick, Ubiquitin-Proteasome System, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, UPS, White Blood Cell
chickens

Scientists seek to curtail bird flu’s spread through education, outreach efforts


May 13, 2026

Though the current public health risk of H5N1 bird flu is low, the University of Florida (UF) is taking a proactive approach to education about the illness, which is responsible for one human death in the United States, as well as outbreaks ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Health & Nutrition, Livestock, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Avian Flu, Backyard Chickens, Benjamin Anderson, Bird Flu, Center For Public Issues Education In Agriculture And Natural Resources, Chicken, Cindy Sanders, College Of Public Health & Health Professions, Department Of Environmental And Global Health, Disease, Education, Emerging Pathogens Institute, Extension, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Florida Department Of Health, Florida EDEN, Florida Extension Disaster Education Network, Guide, H5N1, H5N1 Coordination Group, Hen, IFAS, Illness, Infection, Influenza, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Megan Winslow, Migratory, Outreach, Pathogen, PIE Center, Polutry, Response, Ricky Telg, Risk, SCCAHS, Science, Southeastern Coastal Center For Agricultural Health And Safety, Tips, Transmission, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Virus
Cucumbers

UF/IFAS food safety expert encourages caution but calm in wake of cucumber salmonella outbreak


May 13, 2026

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation this week of a salmonella outbreak linked to a South Florida cucumber grower. As of Wednesday, when the latest FDA update was issued, the investigation included 26 illnesses in ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Food Safety, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Bedner Growers, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Cucumber, FDA, Food Safety, Food Science And Human Nutrition Department, Foodborne Illness, FSHN, Hospitalization, IFAS, Illness, Infected, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Keith Schneider, Megan Winslow, Outbreak, Pathogen, Produce, Salmonella, Thomas Produce Company, U.S. Food And Drug Administration, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

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