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Stubborn Disease in Iran: Diversity of Spiroplasma citri Strains in Circulifer haematoceps Leafhoppers Collected in Sesame Fields in Fars Province

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Abstract

Spiroplasma citri is a bacterial pathogen responsible for the economically important citrus stubborn disease. Sesame and citrus seeds serve as hosts for both S. citri and its leafhopper vector Circulifer haematoceps. To evaluate whether sesame could act as a reservoir for citrus-infecting strains or not, the genetic diversity among S. citri strains found in leafhoppers collected in citrus and citrus-free sesame fields was investigated. Among 26 periwinkle plants exposed to the collected C. haematoceps leafhoppers, 12 plants developed typical stubborn symptoms. All symptomatic periwinkles were polymerase chain reaction positive using S. citri-specific primer pairs targeting the spiralin and P89 genes. Phylogenetic trees based on spiralin gene sequence analysis indicated that the novel field-collected strains clustered with those belonging to two formerly defined S. citri groups (groups 6 and 1). In addition, our results strongly suggest that group 1 strains could be transmitted from sesame-infected plants to citrus trees by C. haematoceps, while group 6 strains may not infect citrus trees.

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Acknowledgements

This paper reports part of results of the PhD thesis of ZZ submitted to University of Jiroft, Kerman, Iran. We thank Plant Protection Research Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Shiraz, Iran for providing greenhouse and molecular lab.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran

    Zahra Zarei & Khadijeh Salari

  2. Plant Protection Research Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Zarghan, Iran

    Mohammad Salehi & Zabihallah Azami

  3. UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, University of Bordeaux, INRA, Villenave d’Ornon, France

    Laure Béven

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  1. Zahra Zarei
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  2. Mohammad Salehi
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  3. Zabihallah Azami
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  4. Khadijeh Salari
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  5. Laure Béven
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Correspondence to Laure Béven.

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Zarei, Z., Salehi, M., Azami, Z. et al. Stubborn Disease in Iran: Diversity of Spiroplasma citri Strains in Circulifer haematoceps Leafhoppers Collected in Sesame Fields in Fars Province. Curr Microbiol 74, 239–246 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-016-1180-z

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