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Diversity and persistence of the RNA virome of Philaenus spumarius, the European vector of Xylella fastidiosa

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Abstract

Philaenus spumarius is the primary vector of the quarantine plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa in Europe and is responsible for the devastating Olive Quick Decline Syndrome outbreak in Southern Italy. Despite its importance, little is known about its natural viral community, which could offer novel and sustainable strategies for vector control. In this three-year study, we conducted the first comprehensive characterization of the viral community of P. spumarius from multiple ecologically diverse European sites, including X. fastidiosa-affected areas in Southern Italy. Deep transcriptomic sequencing of 209 field-collected individuals pooled into 11 RNA-seq libraries revealed the presence of 26 RNA viruses. Our findings revealed a rich and structured viral community in populations from Northern Italy and France, contrasting sharply with the reduced viral diversity observed in populations from Southern Italy, where most individuals were virus-free. Temporal comparisons revealed recurrent virus–host associations over the years, and laboratory rearing provided initial insights into viral persistence and transmission dynamics. Although none of the detected viruses caused overt signs of mortality or sterility, their potential sublethal effects and ecological interactions remain unexplored. This study lays the groundwork for future research on the functional roles of insect-associated viruses and emphasizes their potential for developing sustainable, environmentally friendly approaches to managing vectors and reducing the impact of X. fastidiosa on European agriculture.

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Data availability

All assembled viral genomes and corresponding raw sequencing reads are publicly available in the NCBI GenBank database under the BioProject accession PRJNA1272319.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Massimo Turina for the critical revision of the text and Luca Bucci for the technical assistance.

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe, BeXyL project [grant number 101060593] and Italian Ministry of Agriculture, MASAF, SOS project “Sviluppo di Strategie di controllo sostenibili di Philaenus spumarius ed interferenza con la trasmissione di Xylella fastidiosa”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, IPSP-CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, Torino, Italy

    Sara Ottati, Luciana Galetto, Cristina Marzachí & Simona Abbá

  2. Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, Italy

    Sara Ottati, Francesco Volpe, Nicola Bodino & Domenico Bosco

Authors

  1. Sara Ottati
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  2. Luciana Galetto
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  3. Francesco Volpe
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  4. Nicola Bodino
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  5. Cristina Marzachí
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  7. Simona Abbá
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Contributions

Conceptualization, D.B., C.M. and S.O.; methodology, S.O. and S.A.; formal analysis, S.O.; investigation, S.O., S.A. and L.G.; software, S.O. and S.A.; writing—original draft preparation, S.O. and S.A.; writing—review and editing, S.O., S.A., L.G., M.C., C.M., F.V., N.B. and D.B.; field sampling and insect rearing, S.O., F.V. and N.B.; visualization, S.O. and S.A.; supervision, S.A. and D.B.; resources, D.B. and C.M.; project administration, D.B and C.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to
Domenico Bosco.

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Ottati, S., Galetto, L., Volpe, F. et al. Diversity and persistence of the RNA virome of Philaenus spumarius, the European vector of Xylella fastidiosa.
Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32597-4

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Keywords


  • Philaenus spumarius

  • Xylella fastidiosa
  • Insect-specific-virus
  • Transmission routes
  • Plant pest
  • Biocontrol

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