Bacterial pathogen causing wilt in banana (Moko) endemic to Brazil

Moko disease, a bacterial wilt in bananas, is caused by specific strains of Ralstonia solanacearum sensu stricto. While this disease is native to Central and South America, it has also spread to the Philippines and peninsular Malaysia. Early detection of new outbreaks in regions free from Moko is crucial for effective containment and eradication, as managing the disease significantly increases banana production costs. To ensure accurate diagnostics for all Moko sequence variants (sequevars), we systematically validated previously published diagnostic assays. To identify all sequevars, including the newly described IIB-25, IIA-41, and IIA-53, we developed and validated two novel assays using genome-wide association studies on over 100 genomes of R. solanacearum sensu stricto.