EFSA replies to Charges re Xylella Data
The European Food Safety Authority has sent a series of detailed replies to the Italian daily, Il fatto quotidiano, which recently published a series of articles by journalist Laura Margottini that charge EU authorities and Bari scientists with using flawed data to reach dubious conclusions about Xylella epidemiology and its diffusion in Puglia.
The EFSA replies to questions from the journalist are given here below. This document was kindly sent to me by the EFSA Press Centre.
1 In the scientific opinion of last March, Efsa declares that the Koch’s postulates have been all satisfied for Xylella fastidiosa present in Salento in diseased olives. At page 10, Efsa writes that: “Postulate 1: X. fastidiosa has been consistently found associated with symptomatic olive trees in the outbreak region;” i.e. also the first postulate of Koch is satisfied. On which study EFSA bases its statement that the first postulate is satisfied?
When dealing with Koch postulates one needs to consider 1) that Xylella fastidiosa is not always easily detected, as xylem tree pathogens may be located at specific places in the tree and not in the sampled one, ii) the limitations associated with the detection method used and the sampling procedure applied.
With regard to the association between symptoms and pathogen in the fields, sampling surveys are regularly conducted by the regional authorities in Apulia particularly at the northern front of the outbreak, results or observations are also published in technical as well as peer reviewed journals. Observations in an orchard in the outbreak area are presented and discussed in the pilot project report (figure 35 and related chapter)…
