A New Perspective on the Co-Transmission of Plant Pathogens by Hemipterans

Co-infection of plants by pathogens is common in nature, and the interaction of the pathogens can affect the infection outcome. There are diverse ways in which viruses and bacteria are transmitted from infected to healthy plants, but insects are common vectors. The present review aims to highlight key findings of studies evaluating the co-transmission of plant pathogens by insects and identify challenges encountered in these studies. In this review, we evaluated whether similar pathogens might compete during co-transmission; whether the changes in the pathogen titer in the host, in particular associated with the co-infection, could influence its transmission; and finally, we discussed the pros and cons of the different approaches used to study co-transmission. At the end of the review, we highlighted areas of study that need to be addressed. This review shows that despite the recent development of techniques and methods to study the interactions between pathogens and their insect vectors, there are still gaps in the knowledge of pathogen transmission. Additional laboratory and field studies using different pathosystems will help elucidate the role of host co-infection and pathogen co-transmission in the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases.

Automated summary

This review focuses on the co-transmission of plant pathogens by insects, highlighting key findings and challenges in studying this phenomenon. The review examines the competition between similar pathogens during co-transmission, the impact of changes in pathogen titer on transmission, and the different approaches used to study co-transmission. Despite recent advancements in techniques, there are still gaps in understanding pathogen transmission. Further laboratory and field studies using different pathosystems are needed to elucidate the role of co-infection and co-transmission in infectious disease ecology and evolution.