We recently identified Pantoea agglomerans as a symbiotic bacterium of H. vitripennis commonly known as the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) due to its long-range mobility and high fecundity, is the most important vector in California. Xylem-feeding sharpshooters and spittlebugs are the known vectors of X. fastidiosa is currently a leading agricultural pathogen globally, as the causative agent of Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevines, citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) of citrus crops and olive quick decline of olive trees. Here, we report the paratransgenic manipulation of an agricultural pest, Homalodisca vitripennis (the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter), to block transmission of the bacterial pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa, to grape plants. Several models of paratransgenic insects have been developed but none to date has been validated as a method to block transmission of a pathogen and prevent disease in a target host. This strategy relies on delivery of anti-pathogen molecules within the insect vector via engineered symbiotic bacteria to make the insect incompetent to carry and transmit the pathogen. Paratransgenesis, the modification of symbiotic microorganisms associated with insects, has been developed for several vectors of human pathogens such as triatomine bugs, tsetse flies, sandflies and mosquitoes (i.e., ). The side effects of chemical pesticides, including secondary pest outbreaks and selection for insect resistance, have confounded efforts to control these diseases and underscore the need to develop new approaches to pathogen control. The vector borne diseases are managed mainly by controlling insect populations using insecticides. Plant diseases caused by pathogens that are transmitted by insects such as leafhoppers, planthoppers, aphids, whiteflies and thrips have profound implications on food security. It is also the first demonstration of paratransgenic control in an agriculturally important insect vector.ĭespite advances in public health, arthropod vectors continue to exact a toll, either directly through transmission of human pathogens or indirectly by transmitting pathogens to animals and agricultural crops. This is the first report of halting pathogen transmission from paratransgenically modified insects. agglomerans, we demonstrated disruption of pathogen transmission from insects to grape plants below detectable levels. Melittin and SLM were chosen as the effector molecules based on in vitro studies, which showed that both molecules have anti- Xylella activity at concentrations that did not kill P. agglomerans to express two antimicrobial peptides (AMP)-melittin and scorpine-like molecule (SLM). Earlier, we identified Pantoea agglomerans, a bacterial symbiont of the GWSS as the paratransgenic control agent. Here, we report a paratransgenic strategy that targets transmission of Xylella fastidiosa, a leading bacterial pathogen of agriculture, by the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis. Efforts to modulate insects to eliminate pathogen transmission have gained some traction and remain future options for disease control. The practice of insecticide-based control is fraught with issues of excessive cost, human and environmental toxicity, unwanted impact on beneficial insects and selection of resistant insects. Arthropod-borne diseases remain a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality and exact an enormous toll on global agriculture.
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