Jeo. Delima et al., COFFEE LEAF SCORCH BACTERIUM - AXENIC CULTURE, PATHOGENICITY, AND COMPARISON WITH XYLELLA-FASTIDIOSA OF CITRUS, Plant disease, 82(1), 1998, pp. 94-97
Symptoms of coffee leaf scorch (CLS) appear on young flushes of field
plants as large marginal and apical scorched areas on recently mature
leaves. Affected leaves drop, shoot growth is stunted, and apical leav
es are small and chlorotic. Symptoms may progress to shoot dieback. On
ly scorched leaves which could not be related to other known agents co
nsistently contained bacteria and bacterial agglomerates when observed
with light microscopy. Only plants with these symptoms were positive
in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests using antiserum to
Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells
et al. was isolated in November 1995 from coffee (Coffea arabica) lea
ves with scorch symptoms on supplemented periwinkle wilt medium. Colon
ies were circular, dome-shaped, white, and 0.5 to 1.5 mm in diameter.
Two of 10 young coffee seedlings stem-inoculated with a suspension of
the isolated X. fastidiosa in January 1996 showed leaf scorch symptoms
3 to 5 months later, contained bacteria in xylem extracts, and reacte
d positively in ELISA using antiserum to the citrus variegated chloros
is (CVC) strain of X. fastidiosa. ELISA-positive bacteria were reisola
ted from this plant. None of the symptomless plants, including control
s, revealed bacteria on microscopic examinations, ELISA, or isolation
attempts. Antisera developed against cultured bacteria from both CLS a
nd CVC plants reacted positively against plant extracts of both diseas
es in dot immunobinding assays (DIBA). The level of detection was abou
t 5 x 10(5) bacteria ml(-1) for both homologous and heterologous react
ions. The polymerase chain reaction amplification products produced by
CLS and CVC strains of X. fastidiosa were indistinguishable. Geograph
ical distribution of these strains is not the same. CLS is widespread
and usually occurs if coffee is adjacent to CVC-affected citrus. Howev
er, CVC does not always occur when citrus is grown adjacent to CLS-aff
ected coffee. The bacteria are closely related, if not identical.