The hidden life of <i>Xylella</i>: mining the NCBI Sequence Read Archive reveals potential new species, host plants, and infected areas for this elusive bacterial plant pathogen.

ABSTRACT: New crop disease outbreaks can occur when phytopathogenic bacterial pathogens acquire new traits, switch to a new host plant, or are introduced into new geographic areas. Therefore, the rapid detection of a pathogen in a new environment and/or in a new host plant is essential to mitigate disease outbreaks. However, bacteria with a wide plant host range, many asymptomatic hosts, and slow symptom development can sometimes remain unnoticed for years. This is the case for the vector-borne xylem-inhabiting bacterium Xylella fastidiosa known to infect hundreds of plant species worldwide and its sister species X. taiwanensis, currently thought to be restricted to Taiwan. To investigate whether the two Xylella species are already present in other parts of the world, potentiall

SUBMITTER: Briand M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12542735 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature