New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By searching through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included (or formerly included) on the EPPO Alert List, and indicated in bold the situation of the pest concerned using the terms of ISPM 8.
- New records
Brenneria goodwinii and Gibbsiella quercinecans, two bacterial species associated with acute oak decline, are reported for the first time in Serbia on Quercus robur. B. goodwinii was detected in one tree in Morović, and G. quercinecans was found in one tree in Morović and one in Progar (Tkaczyk et al., 2025).
Grapevine Pinot gris virus (Trichovirus pinovitis - GPGV) is reported for the first time from Peru. Since 2022, grapevines (Vitis vinifera) grown for table grape production in Ica region (southern Peru), the main grape producing area in the country, have been observed with virus symptoms. In 2024, 52 samples were collected and GPGV was detected by RT-PCR in 2 samples (Sánchez‐Moncada & Álvarez, 2025).
Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) is reported for the first time from Argentina. It was detected in several locations in the province of Buenos Aires between January and November 2024 (Faúndez et al., 2024).
- Detailed records
In Australia, tomato brown rugose fruit virus (Tobamovirus fructirugosum – ToBRFV - EPPO A2 List) was first reported in South Australia in August 2024 (EPPO RS 2024/172) where it is under eradication. In January 2025 ToBRFV was detected in commercially grown glasshouse tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) at a single property in Victoria which has direct tracing links to one of the properties where infections occurred in South Australia. Official measures are applied with the aim of eradication (IPPC, 2025).
The pest status of tomato brown rugose fruit virus in Australia is officially declared as: Present: not widely distributed and under official control.
In Tunisia, citrus bark cracking viroid (Cocadviroid rimocitri- CBCVd – EPPO A2 List) is known to occur on citrus trees. A separate strain, named CBCVd-pis, has been identified in pistachio trees in California. A survey conducted in October 2021 first detected the CBCVd-pis strain in wild Pistacia atlantica trees in northern Tunisia. Infected trees had deformed and chlorotic leaves, as well as dwarfing (Elair et al., 2025).
In Brazil, the subspecies pauca of Xylella fastidiosa (EPPO A2 List) was known to occur on olive trees (Olea europaea) in Minais Gerais and Sao Paulo states (EPPO RS 2016/134). In 2023 and 2024, Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca was isolated from three olive trees exhibiting leaf browning and scorch symptoms in Chapecó (Santa Catarina state) (Canale et al., 2025).
- Eradication
In Italy, Euwallacea similis (Coleoptera: Scolytinae, EU A1 Quarantine pest as ‘non-European Scolytinae spp.’) was first reported in May 2024 in Montechiarugolo (Parma Province, Emilia-Romagna Region) in one infested Ficus macrophylla (EPPO RS 2024/058) in a private house. The regional plant protection service was informed, and official eradication measures were applied. They included the incineration of the infested plant and surveys with traps. No further specimens were caught in traps. The outbreak is considered eradicated (NPPO of Italy, 2025-04).
The pest status of Euwallacea similis in Italy is officially declared as: Absent, pest eradicated.
- Absence
In Switzerland, an official survey was conducted in 2024 to survey the potential presence of Phytophthora pluvialis (EPPO Alert List) in Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) stands. The survey was conducted at 35 selected sites with high humidity and dense tree stands, and samples were taken from 127 trees. Symptoms such as crown thinning and needle discoloration were recorded, and symptomatic needles were tested using real-time PCR for specific detection of P. pluvialis and generic PCR-based Phytophthora detection. No P. pluvialis was detected (NPPO of Switzerland, 2025).
The pest status of Phytophthora pluvialis in Switzerland is officially declared as: Absent, confirmed by survey.
The NPPO of Japan informed the EPPO Secretariat that the record for Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae – EPPO A1 List) in Okinawa island (EPPO RS 2025/055) was erroneous, and indeed refers to Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae).
The pest status of Zeugodacus cucurbitae in Japan is officially declared as: Absent, pest eradicated.
- New host plants
Experiments on 8-year-old seedlings of Pinus sibirica and 4–5-year-old seedlings of Larix sibirica showed that both species are susceptible to pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (EPPO A2 List) (Kulinich et al., 2025)
Sources
Canale MC, Cardoza Y, Ortiz PC, Mituti T, Fernandes J, Sabião RR, Barbé S, Brugnara EC (2025) First report of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca in Olea europaea in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil. Journal of Plant Pathology (early view) https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-025-01894-2
Elair M, Chelli-Chaabouni A, Digiaro M, Mahfoudhi N (2025) First report of citrus bark cracking viroid-pistachio infecting wild Pistacia atlantica in Tunisia. Journal of Plant Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-025-01891-5
Faúndez EI, Carpintero DL, De Magistris AA (2024) Primer registro de Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855)(Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae) en Argentina. Acta zoológica lilloana 68(2), 601-613. https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/2031
Kulinich OA, Arbuzova EN, Kozyreva NI, Chalkin AA, Shchukovskaya AG, Ryaskin DI (2025) Study of susceptibility of siberian pine (Pinus sibirica), scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and siberian larch (Larix sibirica) seedlings to the pine wilt disease. Russian Journal of Parasitology 19(1),125-138 (on Russian with English abstract). https://doi.org/10.31016/1998-8435-2025-19-1-125-138
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports- Australia (2025-03-20): Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) in Australia. https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/australia/pestreports/2024/08/tomato-brown-rugose-fruit-virus-tobrfv-in-south-australia/
NPPO of Japan (2025-04).
NPPO of Italy (2025-04).
NPPO of Switzerland (2025-04).
Sánchez‐Moncada B, Álvarez LA (2025) Occurrence of grapevine Pinot gris virus in commercial table grapes in Peru. New Disease Reports 51(1), e70014. https://doi.org/10.1002/ndr2.70014
Tkaczyk M, Sikora K, Milenković I (2025) First report of bacteria associated with bleeding cankers on oak trees in Serbia. Forest Pathology 55(1), e70010.