''Olpidium brassicae'' is a

plant pathogen Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomy ...

, it is a fungal obligate parasite. In 1983, the

Alsike Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...

, Alberta area's

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

(which is a major part of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

s' diet) was struck by a

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...

epidemic of ''Olpidium brassicae'', previously not seen in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

.J. P. Tewari and P. Bains, ''Fungi associated with the roots of clover in Alberta. I. Olpidium brassicae and Ligniera sp.'' Canadian Plant Disease Survey 63:2, 1983 35, found a
CPS-SCP of Canada website
Accessed January 11, 2010.

Vector

''O. brassicae'' is the fungal vector for most, if not all, necroviruses.

References

External links

Index Fungorum

USDA ARS Fungal Database
Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Plant pathogens and diseases by vector Chytridiomycota Fungi described in 1878 {{fungus-plant-disease-stub