Background Phytoplasmas are phloem-limited plant pathogenic bacteria in the class
Mollicutes transmitted by sap-feeding insect vectors of the Order Hemiptera. Vectors still
have not yet been identified for about half of the 33 known phytoplasma groups and this has
greatly hindered efforts to control the spread of diseases affecting important crops. Extensive
gaps of knowledge on actual phytoplasma vectors and on the plant disease epidemiology
prevent our understanding of the basic underlying biological mechanisms that facilitate …