Microbial symbionts of auchenorrhyncha transmitting phytoplasmas: a resource for symbiotic control of phytoplasmoses.

Phytoplasmas are a worldwide issue in plant health. Among the phytoplasma-caused diseases with major economic effects in Europe, Grapevine Yellows (GY) that cause severe losses in many wine-producing regions, are of increasing relevance. These diseases are spread in several grapevine-growing areas in the world, such as central and South Europe, Middle East, North and South Africa, North and South America, and Australia. The spread of such pathogens is mainly due in nature to insect vectors belonging to the Auchenorrhyncha of the families Cicadellidae and Cixiidae (leafhoppers and planthoppers). This chapter deal with the current understanding about microbial symbionts associated with insect vectors of phytoplasmas, with a particular regard on the achievements toward the development of innovative strategies to prevent pathogen diffusion, as it was proposed for controlling other bacterial phytopathogenic agents