| Summary: | <p>The movement of the exotic and destructive plant pathogen <I>Phytophthora ramorum </I> into unquarantined areas via the plant nursery trade provides a potential outlet for transmission into eastern United States forests. A two-year survey of <I>Phytophthora</I> species in a forest adjacent to an ornamental plant nursery in Mississippi isolated <I>P. ramorum</I> 20 times from water and once from vegetation, with an additional detection of 14 <I>Phytophthora</I> species and one provisional species. Isolates were recovered from soil, water, and vegetation using baiting and filtering techniques, and verified by their DNA through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) followed by genomic sequencing. This study confirms the ability of <I>P. ramorum</I> to sustain itself in Mississippi, although disease progression appears to be inhibited by the relatively small window of favorable environmental conditions. </p>
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