Detection of Ophiostoma Piceae in Radiata Pine using Immunofluorescence Labeling and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy

Abstract

The use of fluorescence microscopy to investigate fungal growth in wood often causes interference due to the strong autofluorescence of wood lignin, unless fluorescent probes which specifically react to fungal hyphae, are used. Techniques to enable differentiation of hyphae from wood have been recently reported (Singh et al., 1997; Xiao et al., 1997). The authors demonstrated that while glutaraldehyde can be used to detect fungal native proteins, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) which reacts with cell wall chitin of hyphae, considerably improved detection of fungi growing in wood.