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First occurrence of Diaphorina citri in East Africa, characterization of the Ca. Liberibacter species causing huanglongbing (HLB) in Tanzania, and potential further spread of D. citri and HLB in Africa and Europe

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Abstract

Citrus surveys were conducted at high (>700 m), medium (300-600 m) and low (<200 m) altitudes in Tanzania in 2014/15. Adults and nymphs of Trioza erytreae (del Guercio) were abundant in the highlands and less abundant at medium altitudes. Unexpectedly, adults and nymphs of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, the Asian citrus psyllid, were found and collected at medium altitudes, around Morogoro. No psyllids were observed at low altitudes. Severe huanglongbing symptoms and tree decline were evident at high altitudes, while mild and few symptoms were observed at intermediate and low altitudes, respectively. DNA was extracted from leaf and psyllid samples and subjected to conventional PCR (cPCR) with seven different primer sets and RT qPCR with two primer sets. cPCR bands were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Candidatus Liberibacter africanus (Laf) was detected in highland leaf and T. erytreae samples from high and medium altitudes by all methods. Sequences from leaves and psyllids were similar to those from South Africa. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) was detected by qPCR in medium altitude leaf samples, but cross-reaction with Laf was likely because presence of Las was not confirmed by cPCR and sequencing. Neither Laf nor Las were detected in D. citri samples. This is the first reported occurrence of D. citri in Africa. Predictions were made of the potential distribution of D. citri and Las in Africa and along the Mediterranean coast using the correlative models MAXENT and Multi-Model Framework. Additional surveys at medium and low altitudes and quarantine measures are recommended.

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Acknowledgments

This work was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative project (iAGRI) (Award No. CA-621-A-00-11-00009-00). The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the United States Government. We are grateful to the Esther B. O’Keeffe Foundation for contributing to this research. We thank Prof. Dr. T. J. Msogoya, Head of Department of Crop Science and Production at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) for allowing us to use molecular laboratory facilities. We also thank Dr. Fen Beed, Dr. George Mahuku and Haruni Murith at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Dar es Salaam for their support. We thank Dr. Kevin A. Williams, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, FDACS/DPI, for examining the parasites recovered from Diaphorina citri nymphs. We thank Debra Jones, FDACS/DPI, and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Pietersen, University of Pretoria, South Africa, for positive controls for Las and Laf, respectively. We thank Dr. John S. Hernandez-Nopsa and Dr. Marina Ascunce, University of Florida, for reviewing the manuscript. This is Entomology Contribution No. 1290, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Entomology, Nematology, and Plant Pathology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Mpoki M. Shimwela, Hossein A. Narouei-Khandan, Gerald V. Minsavage, Sujan Timilsina, Jeffrey B. Jones & Ariena H. C. van Bruggen

  2. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Susan E. Halbert

  3. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA

    Manjunath L. Keremane

  4. Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

    Deogracious Protas Massawe

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  1. Mpoki M. Shimwela
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Correspondence to Mpoki M. Shimwela or Ariena H. C. van Bruggen.

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Shimwela, M.M., Narouei-Khandan, H.A., Halbert, S.E. et al. First occurrence of Diaphorina citri in East Africa, characterization of the Ca. Liberibacter species causing huanglongbing (HLB) in Tanzania, and potential further spread of D. citri and HLB in Africa and Europe. Eur J Plant Pathol 146, 349–368 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-016-0921-y

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