The recent introduction of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe and its involvement in the Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) in Apulia (Salento, Lecce district, South Italy) led us to investigate the biology and transmission ability of the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius, which was recently demonstrated to transmit X. fastidiosa to periwinkle plants. Four xylem-sap-feeding insect species were found within and bordering olive orchards across Salento during a survey carried out from October 2013 to December 2014: P. spumarius was the most abundant species on non-olive vegetation in olive orchards as well as on olive foliage and was the only species that consistently tested positive for the presence of X. fastidiosa using real-time PCR. P. spumarius, whose nymphs develop within spittle on weeds during the spring, are likely to move from weeds beneath olive trees to olive canopy during the dry period (May to October 2014). The first X. fastidiosa-infective P. spumarius were collected in May from olive canopy: all the individuals previously collected on weeds tested negative for the bacterium. Experiments demonstrated that P. spumarius transmitted X. fastidiosa from infected to uninfected olive plants. Moreover, P. spumarius acquired X. fastidiosa from several host plant species in the field, with the highest acquisition rate from olive, polygala and acacia. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed bacterial cells resembling X. fastidiosa in the foreguts of adult P. spumarius. The data presented here are essential to plan an effective IPM strategy and limit further spread of the fastidious bacterium.

中文翻译：

---

意大利橄榄园中的喷痰虫是叶缘焦枯病菌的载体。


最近在欧洲引进了叶缘焦枯病菌（ Xylella fastidiosa） ，并与普利亚（意大利南部莱切区萨兰托）的橄榄快速衰退综合症（OQDS）有关，这促使我们研究了草甸唾液虫Philaenus spumarius的生物学和传播能力。最近被证明可以将X. fastidiosa传播到长春花植物。 2013 年 10 月至 2014 年 12 月进行的一项调查期间，在萨伦托各地的橄榄园内及其周边发现了四种以木质部汁液为食的昆虫： P. spumarius是橄榄园和橄榄树上非橄榄植被上最丰富的物种叶子，并且是唯一使用实时 PCR 检测X. fastidiosa持续呈阳性的物种。 P. spumarius的若虫在春季在杂草的唾液中发育，在干旱时期（2014 年 5 月至 10 月）很可能从橄榄树下的杂草转移到橄榄树冠。 5 月，从橄榄树冠层中收集到了第一批X. fastidiosa感染性P. spumarius ：之前在杂草上收集到的所有个体的细菌检测结果均呈阴性。实验表明， P. spumarius将X. fastidiosa从受感染的橄榄植物传播到未受感染的橄榄植物。此外， P. spumarius从田间的几种寄主植物中获得了X. fastidiosa ，其中从橄榄、远志和金合欢中获得率最高。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）显示，在成虫P. spumarius的前肠中存在类似于X. fastidiosa 的细菌细胞。 这里提供的数据对于规划有效的 IPM 策略和限制挑剔细菌的进一步传播至关重要。