Exopolysaccharide Quantification for the Plant Pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum

Soluble exopolysaccharide is a major virulence factor produced by the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Its massive production during plant infection is associated with the arrest of water flow in xylem vessels leading eventually to plant death. The composition of this heavy macromolecule includes mainly N-acetylgalactosamine. Here we describe a colorimetric method for quantitative determination of the soluble exopolysaccharide present in culture supernatant of R. solanacearum.