The 豐腦瞳え takes part in campaign with Dame Helen Mirren
The 豐腦瞳え has taken part in a campaign疳nvolving浴ame Helen Mirren to tackle a dangerous bacterium from spreading to the UK.胼&紳莉莽梯;A video, featuring Dame Helen has been released explaining the dangers of Xylella, urging the British public to be aware of the dangers.
Xylella Fastidiosa疳s a bacterium which blocks the plumbing systems in plants and prevents them from absorbing water. This causes疹eaf scorch, wilting, die back and even plant death. There is no疼nown畚ure.&紳莉莽梯;
The effects of this bacterium could be disastrous because in order to comply with European law, you must remove all plant species within one hundred meters of the infected plant. This in turn could have a devastating effect of the British疲orticultural industry. For example, if it were to be found in a plant nursery, you must destroy all the plants within the nursery, causing it to go out of business.&紳莉莽梯;
The university is part of詁賊梆勞梆啦,whichwas established in 2018 by The John Innes Centre in Norwich. It is畝 melting pot of universities and researchers across the UK with the goal of preparing for the arrival of the Xylella virus.&紳莉莽梯;As part ofBRIGIT, the university is developing computer models to track how the epidemic spreads. Using this model, we design strategies to detect it.&紳莉莽梯;
Dr Stephen Parnell,爹eader in Spatial Epidemiology at The 豐腦瞳え who sits on a panel with The European Food Safety Authority said: Usually what happens is that something arrives and gets out of control. Then there is a big research project to see what we can do.&紳莉莽梯;BRIGIT is about anticipating how we can catch it and prevent it.&紳莉莽梯;
Currently,盎cientists cannot establish if it has been exposed to UK plants, but BRIGIT&紳莉莽梯;is focused on preventing the problem, rather than finding a solution.&紳莉莽梯;Dr Parnell added: The good thing about BRIGIT is that it is trying to be proactive before the disease arrives.&紳莉莽梯;It is about having a range of different solutions and trying to get everything into place."&紳莉莽梯;
What is so dangerous about the disease is that unlike other plant-targeting眠iruses, it targets many types of plants, leaving many盎pecies of plants in Britains vast ecosystem vulnerable to exposure. The virus was traditionally only found in North and South America, feeding off citrus plants, but in 2013 it was discovered in Puglia, in Southern Italy and has been spreading across Europe ever since.&紳莉莽梯;
To join the conversation, use the hashtags #BRIGITXylella #IYPH2020 and .
For all press office enquiries please email communications@salford.ac.uk.
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