Xylella fastidiosa in natural ecosystems across world regions: host diversity, vector ecology, and epidemiological patterns

Xylella fastidiosa is a quarantine bacterium responsible for severe epidemics in crops worldwide. It is increasingly detected in natural and peri-urban ecosystems, where it poses a major threat to plant health, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability. This study provides the first comprehensive review of the X. fastidiosa impact in these contexts. A curated dataset of 81 peer-reviewed studies was used to analyse its geographical distribution, host range - with an unprecedented focus on wild (W) vegetation - genetic diversity at the subspecies and sequence-type levels, and the role of insect vectors. Despite reports from 20 countries, detections in W plants have been confirmed in only 8, reflecting persistent gaps in surveillance outside agroecosystems. Our results identify Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Fagaceae, and Vitaceae as key plant families. Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa and morus prevail in the Americas, while subsp. multiplex emerges as the dominant lineage in Europe, highlighting strong biogeographical structuring. These dynamics are further shaped by the ecology of xylem-feeding insect vectors, such as Homalodisca vitripennis and Graphocephala atropunctata in the Americas, and Philaenus spumarius and Neophilaenus campestris in Europe, whose movement between crops and W hosts underpins landscape-level transmission processes. We provide a comparative analysis of management strategies, emphasizing differences between eradication- and containment-based approaches in newly invaded areas and long-term coexistence strategies in endemic regions. We highlight the limitations of crop-centred surveillance and the need for integrated, landscape-scale approaches. Incorporating W vegetation is essential to improve risk assessment and develop sustainable management practices that balance phytosanitary objectives with biodiversity conservation.