Presentation on "Insect Vectors of Emerging Diseases: a new threat to our Agriculture"

This interesting presentation will be offered within the dedicated block "Tools for the control of pests and diseases" of the program of the First Microbiome Forum.

Alberto Fereres Castiel is a research professor in the Department of Plant Protection of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the CSIC. As an expert entomologist, he will focus his presentation on the importance of disease-transmitting insects such as Xylella or HLB and will explain possible solutions and control methods, some based on microbiological tools.

emerging diseases

Emerging plant diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms that: 

a) have increased in incidence, geographic distribution or host range, 

b) they have changed their pathogenic capacity, becoming more aggressive,

c) have recently evolved and

d) have been recently discovered or rediscovered (Anderson et al 2004; Power et al 2008).

Until a few years ago, viruses constituted the most important group of pathogenic organisms, causing 47% of emerging plant diseases. Animal viruses also cause most disease in humans (44%) and in wildlife (43%). However, until a few years ago phytopathogenic bacteria caused only 16% of known plant diseases, contrasting with the higher incidence of these pathogenic organisms in humans or in wildlife, where they cause twice as many diseases (30%) (Anderson et al. 2004). 

"The increase and globalization of the trade in ornamental plants and climate change may be favoring the emergence of new diseases"

However, in recent years, the emergence of new diseases caused by phytopathogenic bacteria and transmitted by insect vectors have caused great social alarm. This is the case of Candidatus Liberibacter spp. or Xylella fastidiosa. 

The cause for which insect-borne bacterial diseases have increased in incidence in recent years is unknown, but may have to do with the increase and globalization of the ornamental plant trade and climate change that may be favoring their expansion. of these pathogens and their vectors to new geographic regions.

This paper will explain the characteristics of these diseases, their mode of transmission by insects and their possible control methods, including microbiological tools.