We have neglected our News posts a bit, so here is a summary of some of the recent work published by the community that may be of interested (short list with links to pubmed).
. X. fastidiosa populations in South America frequently exchange genes (Coletta-Filho).
. two manuscripts from Italian groups using genomic data showing that the strain introduced into southern Italy originated from Central America (Marcelletti, Giampetruzzi).
. more papers on the cool toxin/antitoxin story (Burbank, Santiago).
. X. fastidiosa requires a chitinase to multiply in the foregut of insects, indicating it uses the insect as a food source (Labroussaa).
. confirmation that the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius is a vector of X. fastidiosa in Italy (Cornara).
. mating disruption of vector using vibrational signals (Mazzoni).