On Tuesday 25 February, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an update to its Xylella host plant database, which lists the plant species affected by the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen.
The latest update, which covers research published between January and June 2024, includes data from 27 scientific publications and recent outbreak notifications (see EUROPE 13234/10).
These data show that a new host plant has been identified: the Cantabrian mountain oak (Quercus orocantabrica) has been naturally infected in Portugal.
For the first time, natural infections of Pierce’s disease - a strain of Xylella fastidiosa that causes disease in North American vineyards - have been found in grapes, almonds and other plants in the Puglia region of Italy. The total number of confirmed host species rose to 452 (belonging to 70 different botanical families) when the most rigorous detection methods were used.
No new sequence type (ST) of Xylella has been identified anywhere in the world.
Xylella fastidiosa is a pathogenic bacterium that causes serious diseases in a wide range of plants, including olive trees, citrus fruits, grapevines and various ornamental plants.
EFSA developed the Xylella spp. host plant database at the European Commission’s request in order to support risk assessment and management efforts to combat Xylella fastidiosa.
Link to EFSA data: https://aeur.eu/f/fn0 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)