Pathogenic and genetic relationships among strains of Xylella fastidiosa isolated from various hosts

• Author(s): Hopkins, Don; Thompson, C.; Wichman, R.;
• Abstract: Diseases are produced in a wide range of hosts by strains of Xylella fastidiosa. However, some strains are host specific, indicating that different pathotypes or subspecies may exist. In this study, strains isolated from grapevine, elderberry, oak, and oleander were characterized by host range, by SDS-PAGE of proteins, and by pulsed field electrophoresis of DNA digested with rare-cutting restriction endonucleases. The strains of X. fastidiosa from grapevine, oak, and oleander were most virulent on their host of origin and also were separated into three similar, but distinct clusters based on cluster analysis of DNA fingerprints. Strains from elderberry were not distinct from the grapevine strains. One strain originally isolated from elderberry was more virulent on grapevine than elderberry. DNA fingerprinting of the X. fastidiosa strains separated them into groups that corresponded with host range results. This supports the separation of these strains into three or four pathovars of X. fastidiosa.
• Publication Date: Jun 2002
• Journal: Phytopathology