First report of Xylella fastidiosa in Colombia
Xylella fastidiosa (EPPO A2 List) is first reported from Colombia. It has been detected in eight Colombian departments, leading the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) to declare a phytosanitary emergency.
Official surveys have been conducted in Colombia since 2019-2022 without any detection of the bacterium. At the beginning of 2024, surveillance was intensified in 30 departments of the country and 928 plant samples from different host species were analyzed according to EPPO Diagnostic Protocol PM 7/024.
Fourteen samples collected in 2024 tested positive. They came from eight departments: Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, La Guajira, Magdalena, Norte de Santander, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca. Two positive samples were from coffee plants (Coffea arabica) from Boyacá and La Guajira, and the other twelve were from citrus plants (Citrus reticulata, C. x aurantium var. sinensis, Citrus x latifolia, Citrus x tangelo): two in Caldas, one in Caquetá, one in La Guajira, one in Magdalena, four in Norte de Santander, two in Risaralda and one in Valle del Cauca.
No information on the subspecies present in Colombia is currently available.
Strict phytosanitary measures are applied and include the destruction of the infected plants, the delimitation of regulated areas, restriction of host plant movements.
The situation of Xylella fastidiosa in Colombia can be described as: Present, not widely distributed, under official control.
Sources
ICA (2025-03) https://www.ica.gov.co/noticias/comunicado-presencia-bacteria-xylella-fastidiosa
ICA (2025-03) Xylella fastidiosa https://www.ica.gov.co/areas/agricola/direccion-tecnica-de-epidemiologia-y-vigilancia-fi/xylella-fastidiosa