Country: United States

Title: Confirmation of Citrus Greening in Chatham County, Georgia - United States

Contact:
Patrick Gomes, National Coordinator, Citrus Health Response Program, (919) 855-7313

Report: On June 9, 2009 the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) confirmed the identification of citrus greening (CG, also known as Huanglongbing or HLB and caused by the bacterial pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) in a leaf sample from a residential property in the City of Savannah (Chatham County), Georgia. The samples in which CG was confirmed were from a mature sour orange tree located at a residential property in proximity to where the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) was detected last August prompting a follow-up survey of the area. This is the first confirmation of CG in the State of Georgia.

APHIS is currently obtaining additional information concerning the source of the tree. As a result of the residential CG detection, additional delimiting and detection surveys are being conducted in the vicinity.

With the confirmation of CG in Chatham County, Georgia, APHIS is working with the State to take appropriate regulatory action to prevent the movement of host plants and plant material from the County. Due to the presence of ACP and CG in the State of Georgia and its determination that it will not establish a parallel intrastate quarantine, APHIS will quarantine the entire State of Georgia for ACP and CG in order to prevent further dissemination of the pests.

APHIS will continue to work closely with officials from the State to delimit the presence of both ACP and CG while developing a response and outreach plan for Georgia.

Under IPPC Standards, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' is considered to be a pest that is present, only in some areas, and subject to official control to limit its spread in the United States.
 

Posted Date: June 22, 2009, 9 a.m.