Disease Note.

First Report of Xylella fastidiosa in Coffee. M. J. G Beretta, Instituto Biologico, Sao Paulo, Brazil, CP04014002 . R. Harakava, and C. M. Chagas, Instituto Biologico, Sao Paulo, Brazil, CP04014002; K. S. Derrick, G. A. Barthe, T. L. Ceccardi, and R. F. Lee, Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake Alfred, Florida 33850; and O. Paradela, M. Sugimori, and I. A. Ribeiro, Instituto Agronomico, Campinas, Brazil. Plant Dis. 80:821. Accepted for publication 7 May 1996. Copyright 1996 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-80-0821D.

A disorder of coffee (Coffea arabica L. cv. Mundo Novo) characterized by slight stunting, dieback and leaf scorch was observed in Brazil. Extracts of affected plants reacted with an antiserum to Xylella fastidiosa in immunobinding and Western blot assays. A slow-growing bacterium was cultured from affected plants on modified PW (periwinkle wilt) media. Analyses of the cultured bacterium by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers designed for general detection of X. fastidiosa (I) and specific detection of the X. fastidiosa that causes citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) (K. S. Derrick et al., unpublished) were positive. In addition, some DNA extracts from affected plants gave positive results in the two PCR assays, but consistent isolation of PCR-quality DNA from coffee has proven difficult. In our study, all serological and PCR assays of extracts from symptomless plants were negative. The possibility that the bacterium that causes CVC is similar to one now found in coffee is of some concern to citrus growers, because coffee is often planted near citrus in Brazil.