[sic transit gloria]

What, precisely, is happening in the tomato plant's physiology to cause the leaves to stop receiving water from the main stem? Is there a blockage at the point where the branch stems off from the main stem? I've read that this is true with bacterial wilt, that the bacterial fluid (the milky fluid) actually blocks the passage of water to the leaves. In Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, what is the actual cause for the stopage of water?

Furthermore, if these symptoms are caused by what amounts to a bacterial infection or a fungus, why couldn't a solution be made up to fight this infection, almost like an anti-biotic? The plant would take up the anti-biotic through it's root system, and maybe even through foliar respiration, and it would help to clear up the symptomatic wilt. Is this feasible? If these diseases are viral, then this won't work, obviously, but if it is fungal or bacterial, what are the likely suspects for this "anti-biotic" solution that would be applied to the plant?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Jason