Deadly Bacterial Disease Affecting Trees Found in Costa Mesa

A plant affected by the disease Huanglongbing is believed to be caused by a phloem-restricted bacterium which is vectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid. Courtesy of the California Department of Food and Agriculture

A deadly bacterial disease was discovered last month on a Costa Mesa citrus tree, requiring the California Department of Food and Agriculture to quarantine the area around its location and collect samples, in hopes of stopping its spread.

The bacterial disease known as Huanglongbing is carried and transmitted through Asian citrus psyllid insects—which are small, brownish, and winged—feeding off a citrus tree’s leaves.