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Numerous bacteria have been isolated from within plants, and many reported from xylem, but only three species of xylem-limited bacteria (XLB) that are fastidious in cultural requirements, are plant pathogens, and exclusively occupy xylem, have been well characterized. Two XLB, Xylella fastidiosa and Pseudomonas syzygii, are transmitted by sucking insects that feed on xylem sap but are not transmitted mechanically from plant to plant. In contrast, Clavibacter xyli is mechanically transmitted to plants by cutting tools. All of these XLB occupy a highly specialized yet diverse ecological niche: the water-conducting systems of an extremely wide range of plant hosts. A variety of detection methods are available as diagnostic aids; each method has advantages and disadvantages; no single method is best for all uses. Molecular and genetic comparisons of strains of XLB lag behind progress being made for many other plant-pathogenic bacteria, but such studies are needed to answer important questions: (a) How do XLB move from cell to cell within plants? (b) What are the physiological and genetic bases of plant host specificity for XLB? (c) Why are only xylem-feeding specialists vectors of X. fastidiosa (and probably P. syzygii), when many leafhoppers feed regularly (but not continuously) on xylem?

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The bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa infects xylem and causes disease in many plant species in the Americas. Different subspecies of this bacterium and different genotypes within subspecies infect different plant hosts, but the genetics of host adaptation are unknown. Here we examined the hypothesis that the introduction of novel genetic variation via intersubspecific homologous recombination (IHR) facilitates host shifts. We investigated IHR in 33 X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex isolates previously identified as recombinant based on 8 loci (7 multilocus sequence typing [MLST] loci plus 1 locus). We found significant evidence of introgression from X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa in 4 of the loci and, using published data, evidence of IHR in 6 of 9 additional loci. Our data showed that IHR regions in 2 of the 4 loci were inconsistent (12 mismatches) with X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa alleles found in the United States but consistent with alleles from Central America. The other two loci were consistent with alleles from both regions. We propose that the recombinant forms all originated via genomewide recombination of one X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex ancestor with one X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa donor from Central America that was introduced into the United States but subsequently disappeared. Using all of the available data, 5 plant hosts of the recombinant types were identified, 3 of which also supported non-IHR X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex, but 2 were unique to recombinant types from blueberry (7 isolates from Georgia, 3 from Florida); and blackberry (1 each from Florida and North Carolina), strongly supporting the hypothesis that IHR facilitated a host shift to blueberry and possibly blackberry.

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