Inspection Service Research Articles

Evaluation of Long-Read Sequencing Simulators to Assess Real-World Applications for Food Safety.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes are routinely responsible for severe foodborne illnesses in the United States. Current identification methods utilized by the U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service require at least four days to identify STEC and six days for L. monocytogenes. Adoption of long-read, whole genome sequencing for food safety testing could significantly reduce the time needed for identification, but method development costs are high. Therefore, the goal of this project was to use NanoSim-H software to simulate Oxford Nanopore sequencing reads to assess the feasibility of sequencing-based foodborne pathogen detection and guide experimental design. Sequencing reads were simulated for STEC, L. monocytogenes, and a 1:1 combination of STEC and Bos taurus genomes using NanoSim-H. At least 2500 simulated reads were needed to identify the seven genes of interest targeted in STEC, and at least 500 reads were needed to detect the gene targeted in L. monocytogenes. Genome coverage of 30x was estimated at 21,521, and 11,802 reads for STEC and L. monocytogenes, respectively. Approximately 5-6% of reads simulated from both bacteria did not align with their respective reference genomes due to the introduction of errors. For the STEC and B. taurus 1:1 genome mixture, all genes of interest were detected with 1,000,000 reads, but less than 1x coverage was obtained. The results suggested sample enrichment would be necessary to detect foodborne pathogens with long-read sequencing, but this would still decrease the time needed from current methods. Additionally, simulation data will be useful for reducing the time and expense associated with laboratory experimentation.

HELICONIA SCARLET: A MEXICAN VARIETY FOR CUT FLOWER AND GARDENING

Objective: To carry out the morphological characterization of Heliconia uxpanapensis x Heliconia latispatha var. Scarlet for varietal registration purposes.
 Design, Methodology and Approximation:
 By means of rhizomes division of 71-1 plant from a plot of H. uxpanapensis x H. latispatha segregant plants (F2), twelve plants (tillers) were generated, planted, and cultivated in open field under 30% of natural shade. Morphological characterization was methodic conducted using the Technical Guide descriptors for Heliconias designed by the National Seed Inspection and Certification Service (SNICS, 2023).
 Results: Morphological characters of the clones from the 71-1 segregant plant, tested with the SNICS Technical Guide descriptors, were constant so that a differentiation could be make between the Scarlet and Karely, a reference variety found in the Guide. Scarlet variety’s primary distinctive characteristics are the red color, high brilliance, and the revolute-involute margins of their bracts. Their inflorescence morphological characteristic suggest they can be cultivated for cut flower and gardening. 
 Study limitations and implications: In order for Scarlet variety express, their characteristics of intense color and bracts brightness, they have to be cultivated under 30% of shade.
 Findings and conclusions: Based on the Technical Guide descriptors for heliconias varietal description (SNICS, 2023), the Scarlet variety differentiates from the Karely (reference variety) as it presents a stability-distinction-homogeneity. For this reason, the varietal registration seems appropriate.

On Time Performance pada Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta

The research objective is to determine the direct contribution and indirect effect of airport officers’ competence and performance on On Time Performance mediated by delay management supervision in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The importance of the Air Transport Inspector performance in supervising is required to improve the performance of the employees. The method used in this study was a Descriptive Quantitative using survey. The population were all flight service inspectors. The study used Smart Partial Least Square path analysis method with purposive sampling of 72 respondents. The results of the analysis show that there are three direct contributions which are officers’ competence on Delay Management supervision, officers’ performance on DelayM anagement supervision and Delay Management supervision on OTP. Delay Management supervision is able to mediate the competence and performance on On Time Performance in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Contamination by aerobic mesophilal and enterobacteriaceae bacteria in a pig refrigerator

The study aimed to evaluate the knives, contact surfaces and carcasses for contamination by mesophilic aerobic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, in a pig slaughterhouse in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The present study took place in a pig slaughterhouse, located in the Northwest Region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, under the Federal Inspection Service (SIF). The experimental design used was randomized blocks organized in a bifactorial scheme, being for the knives: 3 (days of collection) x 3 x 15 (time of collection and knives from the slaughter and deboning process), totaling 135 experimental units for the knives. For water, main contact surfaces and pig carcasses, a unifactorial scheme was used: 3 (days of collection) x 12 surfaces (5 contact surfaces and 7 carcasses), totaling 36 experimental units. Knives used during slaughter operations are a form of contamination. There is deficiency in the pre-operational hygiene procedure of the utensils.

Consumers’ perception of the “Arte” seal in artisanal cheeses

The “Arte” seal is a certificate that guarantees that the product of animal origin was handcrafted with the characteristics of unique palatability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the consumption preference and perception of the “Arte” seal and inspection seals among consumers of artisanal cheeses. Through online questionnaires, it was observed that 99% of respondents recognize the seal of the Federal Inspection Service (SIF) and 57% do not recognize the “Arte” seal. Among those interviewed, 63% strongly disagreed with buying cheese without a seal, and 76% had completed higher education. When asked about purchasing a cheese produced with raw milk, 41% answered that they strongly agree that cheese produced with raw milk can cause an unfavorable effect on health. Finally, consumers chose cheeses visually with different stamps, where 98% opted for products with seals, regardless of the absence of heat treatment in processing. It is concluded that the recognition of the Arte seal and the inspection seals is related to the level of education of the interviewees, which can generate inequality in the perception of consumers in relation to the seals.

STUDI KOMPARASI PENYELESAIAN PERSELISIHAN HUBUNGAN INDUSTRIAL (PERSELISIHAN HAK) MENURUT SISTEM HUKUM INDONESIA DAN KOREA SELATAN

Work contracts that are not in accordance with labour laws, discriminatory status and industrial relations, substandard wage rates and wage systems, and the non-fulfillment of other normative rights are examples of labour rights violations. Furthermore, this research is normative research that is descriptive in nature, with secondary data whose data sources are primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials, qualitatively analyzed data collection through literature studies, and deductively derived conclusions. The problem statement in this research is how the similarities and differences between the rights conflicts in Indonesia and South Korea And how its advantages and disadvantages. The Labour Inspection Service is responsible for enforcing labor regulations that guarantee the fulfilment of labour rights and taking stern action against companies/employers who violate these regulations. As a result, labor rights violations continue to occur despite the Labour Inspection Service's efforts. Indonesia has permanent legal force where disputes can be resolved through litigation or non-litigation, and has deficiencies in terms of the type of settlement, whereas South Korea has more detailed legal force, but its weakness is that few cases of labour disputes are brought to court without going through the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).

A Comparative Study on Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolated from Channel Catfish and Related Freshwater Fish Species

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends in 114 generic Escherichia coli isolated from channel catfish and related fish species were investigated in this study. Of these, 45 isolates were from commercial-sized channel catfish harvested from fishponds in Alabama, while 69 isolates were from Siluriformes products, accessed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service’ (FSIS) National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) program. Antibiotic susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing were performed using the GenomeTrakr protocol. Upon analysis, the fishpond isolates showed resistance to ampicillin (44%), meropenem (7%) and azithromycin (4%). The FSIS NARMS isolates showed resistance to tetracycline (31.9%), chloramphenicol (20.3%), sulfisoxazole (17.4%), ampicillin (5.8%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, azithromycin and cefoxitin below 5% each. There was no correlation between genotypic and phenotypic resistance in the fishpond isolates, however, there was in NARMS isolates for folate pathway antagonists: Sulfisoxazole vs. sul1 and sul2 (p = 0.0042 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole vs. dfrA16 and sul1 (p = 0.0290 and p = 0.013, respectively). Furthermore, correlations were found for tetracyclines: Tetracycline vs. tet(A) and tet(B) (p < 0.0001 each), macrolides: Azithromycin vs. mph(E) and msr(E) (p = 0.0145 each), phenicols: Chloramphenicol vs. mdtM (p < 0.0001), quinolones: Nalidixic acid vs. gyrA_S83L=POINT (p = 0.0004), and β-lactams: Ampicillin vs. blaTEM-1 (p < 0.0001). Overall, we recorded differences in antimicrobial susceptibility testing profiles, phenotypic-genotypic concordance, and resistance to critically important antimicrobials, which may be a public health concern.

Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service: Enhancing Salmonella Control in Poultry Products

Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service: Enhancing Salmonella Control in Poultry Products

Prioritisation of quarantine pest list for the Caribbean using a multi-criteria decision approach

Quarantine plant pests are socially, economically and environmentally important due to their impact on food security, human health, global trade and crop production costs. The increase in global trade and tourism, frequent occurrence of natural disasters and climate changes have exacerbated the rate of entry, establishment and spread of plant pests regionally and globally. It has, therefore, become exigent to develop a list of pests of quarantine importance at the regional and national levels to prioritise and allocate the limited available resources to manage the associated risks. In the present study, the Technical Committee on the Formulation and Prioritisation of a Regional Priority Pest List for the Caribbean, in collaboration with the National Plant Protection Organisation of the Caribbean countries and the United States Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), developed and prioritised a quarantine pest list using a multi-criteria decision-making approach. The technical committee successfully evolved the process in 2014 and 2018 and developed a list of the top 10 pests of quarantine importance for the Caribbean Region, employing the Delphi Technique (DT) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) through the assignment of criteria that are relevant to the region. The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), frosty pod rot (Moniliophthora roreri) and the tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta), listed as top quarantine pest threats, were subsequently detected in the region. This exercise guided the authorities in advance to allocate resources and to develop response plans including capacity building for surveillance and detection of priority pests. This has demonstrated the significance and appropriateness of the multi-criteria decision approach to determine priority pest lists and prepare the region for development of better management practices.

Ocorrência de Salmonella spp. na cadeia de produção de carne de frango

ABSTRACT Brazilian chicken meat is exported to more than 150 countries and consumed by consumer markets that demand high quality and food safety, thus, requiring very strict control of pathogens present in food to guarantee these rigorous safety standards. This study evaluates the reports from the Salmonella spp. Control and Monitoring Program of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply of seven slaughterhouses inspected by the Federal Inspection Service from the western region of Paraná state, Brazil, from March 2017 to February 2019. The broiler litter swab and carcass analyses revealed a Salmonella spp. positivity ratio of 5.9% (19/319) and 23.5% (75/319), respectively. The concomitant presence of Salmonella spp. in the broiler litter swab and chicken carcasses occurred in 58% of the positive samples. The most frequently isolated serovar in the carcasses was Salmonella Heidelberg (85.3%) followed by Salmonella spp. (10.6%). During slaughter, carcass positivity to Salmonella spp. was significantly different (p=0.047) between the first (19.6%) and the second (29.4%) shifts. The results alert for the possibility of carcass contamination during slaughtering and, therefore, more stringent hygiene measures between shifts must be implemented to mitigate carcass contamination.

오송참사의 조사 및 수사과정 고찰

Based on government agency data and media reports, this study examined the progress of the Osong disaster investigation and examined several characteristic issues that have emerged in the process of police investigation, inspection by the State Affairs Coordination Office, and prosecution investigation.&#x0D; First, Chungbuk Police Agency after the Osong disaster, lost its power when the Office of Public Service Management initiated service inspection. Since then, the investigative agency has been changed from police to prosecution, and the police investigation headquarters has been disbanded. Second, the Office of the Public Service Management requested the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to investigate those involved in the case, including civilians, through rapid inspection activities. The fact that the Office of Public Service Management will investigate civilians and request an investigation is an activity that publicly expressed that it will no longer stay at the public official inspection agency but play its role as an preparatory investigation agency that investigates civilians. Third, based on the request for investigation, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office established an investigation headquarters at the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office, and the case has been investigated and investigated so far. This investigation and investigation behavior is typical of prosecutors opening investigations through a request for investigation by a state agency, and is based on each item of Article 4 (1) 1 of the Prosecutors' Office Act, and in the case of important crimes prescribed by Presidential Decree (a item of the same issue), it is outside the limits of the delegation legislation and is at the center of controversy over unconstitutionality and illegality.

Modeling long-distance airborne transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza carried by dust particles

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is continuously causing significant economic losses with massive poultry depopulations. Airborne transmission of HPAI was suspected, as initial bird mortalities were reported near air inlets of poultry houses. In addition, infected farms were distant, indicating that the viruses carried by dust particles might help the viruses travel for long distances in the environment. The objective of this study focused on simulating the airborne transmission of HPAI by using computational modeling to assess the risk of airborne and deposited avian influenza (AI) carried by poultry-litter dust particles. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) modeling was used in this study. Data from 168 infected cases in the Mid-Western area of U.S. were obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Watt Poultry. The concentration simulation modeling was performed to estimate the airborne and deposited AI concentration carried by PM2.5 dust particles. Results showed that concentrations of airborne AI, deposited AI, and combined AI transmitted to other farms in a day were lower than the minimal infective dose for poultry. In most of the scenarios, the predicted probability of infection showed that Iowa-infected farms and turkey poultry houses had the highest infection probability. The findings may provide an understanding of the risk of airborne HPAI virus carried by dust particles and suggest the factors that influence long-distance airborne transmission.

Inspection Services and Inspection Legislation in the Late Ottoman Educational Organization

Osmanlı eğitim teşkilatında modern teftiş hizmetlerinin on dokuzuncu yüzyılda başladığı bilinmektedir. İlk olarak, Mekâtib-i Umumiye Nezareti kurulduktan sonra sıbyan mekteplerinin teftişi amacıyla “muin” adı verilen müfettişler tayin edilmiştir. Ancak Osmanlı eğitim sisteminde teftiş konusu da eğitime dair diğer pek çok konu gibi, ciddî olarak ilk defa Türk eğitim tarihinin en önemli belgelerinden biri olan Maarif-i Umumiye Nizamnamesi ile ele alınmıştır. Osmanlı eğitimine önemli yenilikler getiren ve eğitim teşkilatını sil baştan düzenleyen Maarif-i Umumiye Nizamnamesi, teftiş konusunda da önemli bir düzenleme yaparak teftiş hizmetlerinin Maarif Nezaretinin resmî görevleri arasına girmesini sağlamıştır. Maarif-i Umumiye Nizamnamesi’ne göre merkeze olduğu gibi taşraya da maarif müfettişleri atanacaktı. Ne var ki, taşrada maarif teşkilatı hemen kurulamadığı için vilayetlere maarif müfettişlerinin atanması gecikmiştir. Taşra maarif teşkilatı ancak 1880’li yıllarda belli bir düzene sokulabilmiştir. Ancak bu tarihten sonra vilayetlere maarif müdürleri ve müfettişler tayin edilebilmiştir. İkinci Meşrutiyet dönemi ise Osmanlı eğitim teşkilatının yeniden yapılandırıldığı bir dönemdir. Bu dönemde yeniden ele alınan konulardan biri de teftiş hizmetleridir. Denilebilir ki eğitimde teftiş hizmetleri ilk defa bu dönemde sağlam bir düzene bağlanmaya çalışılmıştır. Maarif Nezaretinin bu dönemde teftiş hizmetlerine önemli miktarda bütçe ayırdığı bilinmektedir. Nezaret bu dönemde teftiş hizmetlerine dair çok sayıda ayrıntılı talimatname ve nizamname yayımlamıştır. Bu makalede söz konusu teftiş mevzuatı, nizamname ve talimatnamelerden hareketle yeniden ele alınmaktadır.

The energetic and economic analysis of demand-driven biogas plant investment possibility in dairy farm

The paper aims to analyze the energy and economic effect of a demand-driven biogas investment versus a conventional one in modern dairy farm facilities of medium scale. Demand-driven exploitation may be the only way to obtain permission for connection to energy grid of new renewable energy sources (RES) installations in administrative regions where intermittent RES i.e. photovoltaics provide a large amount of energy to the grid. The biogas plant cogeneration capacity is meant to respond to demand out of the time range of intense electricity generation from photovoltaic farms.The energetic and economic analysis showed that the investment in the biogas plant would be profitable (payback period of 3.41 years in the best scenario), achieved thanks to operating as demand-driven biogas plant with CHP 499 kWe working 12 h/day (4250 h/year). Since the biogas plant is planned to operate as a demand-driven installation, it would also be possible to perform service inspections of the cogeneration unit (CHP) when it is not working. As a result, this small biogas plant (250 kW) with 499 kW CHP can produce as much as 2126 MWh/year. The second aspect of profitability is the use of biomass (mainly biowaste) from a farm as a substrate.

Labour inspection after the civil war in Spain. Regulatory interventionism and abstentionist labour inspection performance

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on something not previously addressed by the literature, labour inspection in Spain in the first decades of the Franco dictatorship. Despite the Franco dictatorship’s fascist-style approach of regulatory interventionism, this research shows a relapse into an abstentionist conception of labour inspection that led to worker vulnerability. The study has not only found, as was already known, normative similarities with the contemporaneous Italian and German dictatorships, but also similar (although more severe) limitations to the functioning of the inspection service. The slight improvement registered from 1947 onwards and the effort to achieve a limited equivalence with Western democracies also failed to notably improve working conditions, occupational safety and worker protection. The Labour Inspectorate suffered from understaffing and a lack of resources up to the very end of the dictatorship, something which the incipient democracy then inherited. These human and material resource shortages continue to be a problem and are currently debated in Spain.

High-Pressure Processing Helps Meet the Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Shiga Toxin–Producing E. coli (STEC) Performance Standards for Beef Summer Sausage

The United States Department of Agriculture–Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) performance standards require that manufacturers of fermented beef sausages validate their processes to achieve a 5-log reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC). Most processors rely on rapid fermentation to a low pH and a mild heat treatment to achieve the lethality performance standard. However, this process alters the sensorial characteristics of traditional fermented sausages. An alternative method to achieve lethality using high-pressure processing (HPP) during the manufacture of summer sausage with higher pH (5.0) and minimal heat treatment was evaluated. Sausages inoculated with circa 9.1 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 and 8.9 log CFU/g of STEC were fermented to target pH values of 4.6 or 5.0. Subsequently, fermented sausages were heated to endpoint temperatures of 54.4°C, 48.9°C, or 43.3°C to the total process treatments of (1) Process A: pH 4.6 and 54.4°C, simulated cold air chilling, (2) Process B: pH 5.0 and 54.4°C, simulated cold air chilling, (3) Process C: pH 5.0 and 54.4°C, ice bath chilling, (4) Process D: pH 5.0 and 48.9°C, ice bath chilling, and (5) Process E: pH 5.0 and 43.3°C, ice bath chilling. After processing, the product was subjected to HPP (586 MPa; 4°C±2°C) for hold times of 1, 150, or 300 s and a nontreated (no HPP) control. All treatments subjected to HPP for 150 and 300 s reduced (P≤0.05) E. coli (O157:H7 and STEC) populations by&amp;gt;5.0 log CFU/g and &amp;gt;7.5 logCFU/g, respectively. The use of HPP allows for the production of more mild beef summer sausage (pH 5.0 and a mild thermal treatment of 43.3°C) while still achieving USDA-FSIS performance standards for lethality.

Determination of pathogens and contamination indicators in fresh pork sausages in the state of São Paulo

The highest cost of beef and chicken meat justifies higher consumption of fresh sausage products, especially linguiça, due to their easy preparation and affordability for consumers, making necessary an evaluation of sanitary hygienic conditions of these products. The objective was to investigate the presence of pathogens such as Salmonella spp., coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and Campylobacter spp. in artisanal and inspected fresh pork sausages. It was found that 12% (6/50) of the artisanal sausage samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp., 58% (29/50) presented coagulase-positive Staphylococcus levels above the acceptable limits for consumption and 76% (38/50) presented thermotolerant coliform levels above the acceptable limits. In sausage samples produced under inspected conditions, 6% (3/50) were contaminated with Salmonella spp., 24% (12/50) presented thermotolerant coliform levels above the acceptable limits, 2% (1/50) presented enteropathogenic E. coli. None samples showed coagulase-positive Staphylococcus counts above the limits, or presence of Campylobacter spp. Sensitizing traders and consumers about the importance of inspection service in food of animal origin is urgent for a sanitary acceptable production, since foodborne diseases continue to be a public health problem.

Evaluation of public submissions to the USDA for labeling of cell-cultured meat in the United States.

With the rapid advancement of cell-cultured meat processing technologies and regulations, commercialization of cell-cultured meat to market shelves requires the implementation of labeling that informs and protects consumers while ensuring economic competitiveness. In November 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed its first pre-market consultation of cell-cultured meat and did not question the safety of these products for human consumption. As of June 2023, commercialization of cell-cultured meat products has become a reality in the United States. To derive potential label terms and gain insight into how different stakeholders refer to these novel products, we analyzed 1,151 comments submitted to the 2021 U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services (USDA-FSIS) call on the labeling of cell-cultured meat and poultry. Our first aim was to systematically assess the nature of comments with regards to their length, cited references, and supplemental materials. In addition, we aimed to identify the most used terms to refer to these products through text analysis. We also asked how these analyses would vary by affiliation category and economic interest. Using the listed organizations for each comment, we first determined financial ties: 77 (7%) comments came from those with an economic interest, 12 (1%) of the comments did not have an identifiable economic interest, while for the remaining 1,062 (92%) comments economic interest could not be determined. We then grouped comments into affiliation categories. Cell-cultured meat companies and animal welfare non-profits had the highest median word count, whereas comments from the unknown affiliation category had the lowest. We found across all comments the predominantly mentioned potential label terms, in descending order, to be cultured meat, lab-grown meat, cultivated meat, cell-cultured meat, clean meat, and cell-based meat. While all label terms were discussed throughout overall submissions, percentages of comments mentioning each term differed between affiliation categories. Our findings suggest differences in how affiliation categories are discussing cell-cultured meat products for the US market. As a next step, the perception and acceptance of these terms must be evaluated to identify the optimal label term regarding the information and protection provided to consumers while ensuring economic competitiveness.

The Coordination Function of PT Angkasa Pura II Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) Officers in Fulfilling Standard Service Procedures at Sultan Thaha Syarifuddin Airport, Jambi

The coordination function of Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) officers is determined by officers within the organization who have the same goals. Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) officers work with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) provided by PT Angkasa Pura II, with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) officers coordinate with other officers so as to achieve optimal work goals. The performance of Terminal Inspection Service officers in a facility maintenance, supervision is very influential on customer satisfaction at the airport. The good condition of the airport terminal will get its own assessment by passengers, the good condition of the airport terminal is of course caused by the coordination of Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) officers. This study used a qualitative research method design, in which data collection was carried out through interviews, observation, documentation, and literature studies in the work area of the Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) officer at Sultan Thaha Syarifuddin Airport, Jambi. This research was conducted to determine the coordination function of the Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) at PT Angkasa Pura II Sultan Thaha Syarifuddin Airport, Jambi. The results of this study are the coordination function of Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) officers, coordination of officers according to SOP, officers resolving obstacles that occur at the airport terminal swiftly and precisely. Terminal Inspection Service (TIS) officers coordinate well between colleagues and superiors in overcoming all existing problems in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

First report of Pseudocerradoa paullula causing aroid leaf rust on Swiss cheese plant Monstera deliciosa in South Carolina, USA.

In February 2023, two Monstera deliciosa Liebm. (Araceae) plants with typical symptoms of leaf rust disease were detected at a grocery store in Oconee Co., South Carolina. Symptoms included chlorotic leaf spots and abundant brownish uredinia, mainly on the adaxial surface of more than 50% of leaves. The same disease was detected on 11 out of 481 M. deliciosa plants in a greenhouse at a plant nursery located in York Co., South Carolina, in March 2023. The first plant sample detected in February was used for morphological characterization, molecular identification, and pathogenicity confirmation of the rust fungus. Urediniospores were densely aggregated, globose, golden to golden brown in color, and measured 22.9 to 27.9 µm (aver. 26.0 ± 1.1 µm; n=50) in diameter with wall thickness at 1.3 to 2.6 µm (aver. 1.8 ± 0.3 µm; n=50). Telia were not observed. These morphological traits aligned with those of Pseudocerradoa paullula (basionym: Puccinia paullula; Ebinghaus et al. 2022; Sakamoto et al. 2023; Sydow and Sydow 1913; Urbina et al. 2023). Genomic DNA was extracted from urediniospores collected from the naturally infected plant sample and used for PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the large subunit (LSU) genetic marker with primers LRust1R and LR3 (Vilgalys and Hester 1990; Beenken et al. 2012). The LSU sequence of the rust fungus in South Carolina (GenBank accession: OQ746460) is 99.9% identical to that of Ps. paullula voucher BPI 893085 (763/764 nt.; KY764151), 99.4% identical to that of voucher PIGH 17154 in Florida, USA (760/765 nt.; OQ275201), and 99% identical to that of voucher TNS-F-82075 in Japan (715/722 nt.; OK509071). Based on its morphological and molecular characteristics, the causal agent was identified as Ps. paullula. This pathogen identification was also corroborated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Pathogen Confirmatory Diagnostics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. To confirm the fungus's pathogenicity on M. deliciosa and M. adansonii Schott (Sakamoto et al. 2023), three plants of each Monstera species were inoculated by spraying with a suspension of urediniospores collected from the original plant sample (1 × 106 spores per ml; approx. 40 ml per plant). Three non-inoculated control plants of each host species were treated with deionized water in the same manner. Plants were placed in a plastic tray with wet paper towels to maintain moisture. The tray was placed at 22C for an 8-h photoperiod and covered for five days to facilitate infection. On 25 days after inoculation, abundant spots bearing urediniospores were produced on all leaves of inoculated M. deliciosa plants. A few uredinia were observed on two of the three inoculated M. adansonii plants. All non-inoculated control plants remained asymptomatic. Morphological features of urediniospores collected from inoculated plants matched those of Ps. paullula used as the inoculum. Aroid leaf rust on Monstera plants was officially reported in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Florida, USA (Shaw 1991; Sakamoto et al. 2023; Urbina et al. 2023). This is the first report of Ps. paullula causing this disease on M. deliciosa in South Carolina, USA. Monstera species are popular indoor and landscape plants. Potential impact and regulatory responses regarding Ps. paullula, a newly introduced and rapidly spreading pathogen in the USA, warrant further evaluation and discussion.