"Candidatus phytoplasma australiense," a new phytoplasma taxon associated with Australian grapevine yellows

A phytoplasma was detected in naturally diseased 'Chardonnay' grapevines exhibiting symptoms of Australian grapevine yellows disease. The use of PCR designed to amplify phytoplasma DNA resulted in detection of phytoplasma DNA in all of the diseased plants examined; no phytoplasma DNA was detected in healthy seedling grapevines. The collective restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of amplified 16S ribosomal DNA differed from the patterns described previously for other phytoplamas. On the basis of the RFLP patterns, Australian grapevine yellows phytoplasma was classified as a representative of a new subgroup, designated subgroup 16SrI-J, in phytoplasma 16S rRNA group 16SrI (aster yellows and related phytoplasmas). A phylogenetic analysis in which parsimony of 16S rRNA gene sequences from this and other group 16SrI phytoplasmas was used identified the Australian grapevine yellows phytoplasma as a member of a distinct subclade (subclade xii) in the phytoplasma clade of the class Mollicutes. A phylogenetic tree constructed on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences was consistent with the hypothesis that there was divergent evolution of Australian grapevine yellows phytoplasma and its closet known relative, European stolbur phytoplasma (subgroup 16SrI-G), from a common ancestor. The unique properties of the DNA from the Australian grapevine yellows phytoplasma clearly establish that it represents a new taxon, "Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense."