Detection of infective resting spores of Synchytrium endobioticum in vehicles

Resting spores of Synchytrium endobioticum collected from the passenger compartment of vehicles at the Vehicle Inspection Station at Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland, in 1992, were tested for infectivity by inoculating replicated micropropagated potato plantlets with different spore densities. Scrapings from the exterior surfaces of vehicles were also used as inoculum. The interior and exterior samples resulted in ca. 80% and 100% infection, respectively. The significance of these results are discussed with regard to viability, germinability, and embarkation vigilance for inoculum of S. endobioticum.