Comparative analysis of Genotypic Diversity among Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum and Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum strains

Abstract

Banana bacterial wilt caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum has caused a significant decline in livelihoods dependent on the banana/Musa enterprise in the great lakes region of Eastern Africa. First-line control methods using cultural packages are not sustainable for long-term application and yet resistant material is yet to be availed to the producers. The pathogen is also largely unknown and thus the need to understand host-pathogen interaction at the molecular level. Recently, affordable genome sequencing has eased the application of genomic, post-genomic, and functional genomic approaches to problems of direct relevance to parasitic diseases in plants, humans, and animals. Comparative genomic analysis of Xanthomonas species pathogenic on Musa was conducted as a means of unruffling the virulence factors associated with these strains. Next-generation sequencing of Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm), Xanthomonas vasicola vasculorum (Xvv), and other musa associated Xanthomonas was used to discover evolutionary relationships and composition of genetic factors in the strains.