Spiroplasma citri is a plant pathogenic mollicute transmitted by the leafhopper vector Circulifer haematoceps. Successful transmission requires the spiroplasmas to cross the intestinal epithelium and salivary gland barriers through endocytosis mediated by receptor-ligand interactions. To characterize these interactions we studied the adhesion and invasion capabilities of a S. citri mutant using...

a survey was carried out in citrus nurseries in mazandaran and kerman provinces as the major citrus growing regions of iran. different varieties of orange and tangerine with abnormal symptoms were examined for the occurrence of candidatus liberobacter asiaticus, spiroplasma citri and phytoplasma as the most important vascular limited pathogens in citrus. by visual inspection and molecular exami...

This review describes the pathway a plant pathogenic mycoplasma or spiroplasma takes in its passage through a leafhopper vector. Reference is made to several strains of spiroplasma and acholeplasma, but, in particular, data are presented for Spiroplasma citri and the corn stunt spiroplasma. Acquisition of the organisms is discussed, together with the different methods of infection (feeding on p...

UNLABELLED Spiroplasma bacteria are highly motile bacteria with no cell wall and a helical morphology. This clade includes many vertically transmitted insect endosymbionts, including Spiroplasma poulsonii, a natural endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster S. poulsonii bacteria are mainly found in the hemolymph of infected female flies and exhibit efficient vertical transmission from mother to o...

Spiroplasma poulsonii and its relatives are facultative, vertically transmitted endosymbionts harboured by several Drosophila species. Their long-term survival requires not only evasion of host immunity, but also that Spiroplasma does not have a net detrimental effect on host fitness. These requirements provide the central framework for interactions between host and endosymbiont. We use Drosoph...

During 2009 2011, symptoms of curling, yellow and purple discoloration of leaves, stunting of shoots, and formation of bunchy, fibrous secondary roots were observed in several ornamental crops, carrot, celery, and parsley fields located in several production areas of Israel. Incidence of disease was almost 20-80% in individual affected fields. Moreover, the observed symptoms resembled those cau...

Spiroplasmavirus SVTS2, isolated from Spiroplasma melliferum TS2, produces plaques when inoculated onto lawns of Spiroplasma citri M200H, a derivative of the type strain Maroc R8A2. S. citri strains MR2 and MR3, originally selected as colonies growing within plaques on a lawn of M200H inoculated with SVTS2, were resistant to SVTS2. Genomic DNA fingerprints and electrophoretic protein profiles o...