Low levels of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus are present in orange jasmine and asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) reared from jasmine plantings in urban Florida

Orange jasmine, Murraya paniculata, is a common horticultural plant in Florida, and an alternate host of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. Orange jasmine has also been reported to harbor the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the causal agent of huanglongbing disease. We present a survey of several orange jasmine populations in urban areas of Saint Lucie County, Florida. Ca. L. asiaticus is present in orange jasmine and in psyllids reared from jasmine, but the titer of bacterial DNA is very low. Because the bacteria are present at such low levels, the importance of disease transmission by psyllids originating from orange jasmine to the epidemiology of Huanglongbing in commercial citrus is uncertain.