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Twenty-five phenotypically and genotypically similar strains of a fastidious, xylem-limited bacterium were isolated from 10 plant disease sources including Pierce’s disease of grapevines, phony disease of peach, periwinkle wilt, and leaf scorches of almond, plum, elm, sycamore, oak, and mulberry. The cells were single (occasionally filamentous), nonmotile, aflagellate straight rods (0.25 to 0.35 by 0.9 to 3.5 μm). They were gram negative, catalase positive, and oxidase negative, utilized hippurate, and produced gelatinase and often beta-lactamase but not beta-galactosidase, coagulase, lipase, amylase, phosphatase, indole, or H2S. The bacteria were strict aerobes with optimum growth at 26 to 28°C and pH 6.5 to 6.9 and had doubling times of 0.45 to 1.98 days in periwinkle wilt broth. Monoclonal antibodies prepared against the Pierce’s disease bacterium reacted with all strains. DNA composition was 51 to 53 mol% guanine plus cytosine, and strains were at least 85% related in DNA hybridization. Sequencing of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid related them to the xanthomonads. These bacteria form a distinct group, and the name Xylella fastidiosa is proposed, establishing a new genus with one species in the gamma subgroup of the eubacteria. Strain PCE-RR (ATCC 35879) is designated as the type strain.
Wells et al. (Wed,) studied this question.