Plant mycoplasmas: a cultivable spiroplasma causes corn stunt disease.

A spiroplasma can be isolated and grown continuously in cell-free medium from stunted corn or from Drosophila injected with sap expressed from diseased corn. The organism is serologically related to, but not identical with, Spiroplasma citri, the causative agent of citrus stubborn disease. Leafhopers injected with cultured organisms induced typical symptoms of the corn stunt disease when placed on previously healthy corn plants.