Discovery and History

Since the 1980s, shot hole symptoms have been reported on cherry laurel in several countries across Europe and North America. However, the causal agents have differed between countries. Shot hole disease caused by pathogenic bacteria has been reported in British Columbia in 1980, and in Spain during the 1990, with Pseudomonas syringae identified as the causal agent. In the Netherlands (2008) and Italy (2010), Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni was identified as the cause. In Ireland, the disease was reported in 2017, caused by Micrococcus aloeverae. As for pathogenic fungi, the disease was found in Serbia in 2010, with Neofusicoccum parvum identified as the causal agent.