Xylella fastidiosa: Insights into an Emerging Plant Pathogen

Abstract

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.