A bug species that is related to the deadly greening disease is rapidly evolving its ability to cause harm.
Liberibacter is a family ofbacteria known to cause diseases in crops. Three of the nine known Liberibacter species are associated with greening.
The number one killer of citrus trees in the world is calledCitrus greening. There is no effective prevention option on the market.
The new species of Liberibacter, L. capsica, is similar to other types of Liberibacter.
Allison Hansen, UCR entomologist and study lead, said, "As with new strains of COVID-19,bacteria become variant of concern if their genes can impact their properties."
Many Liberibacters have genes that allow them to live indoors.
"If they don't have a host, they're gone, and they'll die," he said.
The research team was able to identify 21 genes in L. capsica that are related to infectious qualities. The evolution is documented in a journal.
A subset of the team's findings are on genes that allow the bacterium to move into host insects and take up the host's genetic material. The insects transmit the bacterium to the plants.
There were two flying insects on a pepper plant in Brazil when L. capsica was found. Pests of pepper are the psyllids. It's not known if L. capsica is a threat to crops.
Hansen's team only had a single sample and can't grow L. capsica in a laboratory.
The psyllids were collected in Brazil by a University of British Columbia entomologist. When he traveled the world searching for psyllids, he didn't know these would harbour novelbacteria. After she shared the psyllids she obtained abroad, that discovery was made in the laboratory.
Scientists in Brazil and other places are being told to look for it. Liberibacter is a serious plant pathogen that can be found on domesticated crops.
The work of Ariananchez, a UCR undergraduate microbiology major, was an important part of the study. The entomology department has a first inclusivity scholar.
The department created the Advancing Inclusivity in Entomology scholarship in response to George Floyd's death. Students from marginalized groups who have a passion for studying insects but face systemic barriers are supported by the faculty.
The ways in which L. capsica is evolving have been identified by Sanchez.
The security of our food supply is dependent upon being able to understand pathogens and how they interact with insects.
More information: Allison K. Hansen et al, Divergent Host-Microbe Interaction and Pathogenesis Proteins Detected in Recently Identified Liberibacter Species, Microbiology Spectrum (2022). DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02091-22
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