Xylella fastidiosa: Insights into an Emerging Plant Pathogen

• Published in: Annual review of phytopathology Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 181 - 202
• Main Authors: Sicard, Anne, Zeilinger, Adam R, Vanhove, Mathieu, Schartel, Tyler E, Beal, Dylan J, Daugherty, Matthew P, Almeida, Rodrigo P.P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Annual Reviews 25-08-2018
• Subjects: Animals; climate change; ecology; evolution; host adaptation; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Insect Vectors - microbiology; Insect Vectors - physiology; Olea - microbiology; Plant Diseases - microbiology; risk assessment; vector; Xylella - physiology; risk assessment; ecology; host adaptation; vector; evolution; climate change
• ISSN: 0066-4286; 1545-2107
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080417-045849

The bacterium
Xylella fastidiosa
re-emerged as a plant pathogen of global importance in 2013 when it was first associated with an olive tree disease epidemic in Italy. The current threat to Europe and the Mediterranean basin, as well as other world regions, has increased as multiple
X. fastidiosa
genotypes have now been detected in Italy, France, and Spain. Although
X. fastidiosa
has been studied in the Americas for more than a century, there are no therapeutic solutions to suppress disease development in infected plants. Furthermore, because
X. fastidiosa
is an obligatory plant and insect vector colonizer, the epidemiology and dynamics of each pathosystem are distinct. They depend on the ecological interplay of plant, pathogen, and vector and on how interactions are affected by biotic and abiotic factors, including anthropogenic activities and policy decisions. Our goal with this review is to stimulate discussion and novel research by contextualizing available knowledge on
X. fastidiosa
and how it may be applicable to emerging diseases.