In an experiment to understand how "S. citri" cells move within the beet leafhopper, researchers inoculated insects with the pathogen and then observed the locations of "S. citri" inside the leafhoppers using electron microscopy. They observed "S. citri" in the gut as well as the salivary glands of the insects which further proves that the pathogen may be transmitted by the mechanisms described in the studies above. In particular, researchers observed that "S. citri" were often found within gut epithelial and salivary gland cells on infected hosts within small membrane bound vesicles. This led them to believe that the "S. citri" pathogen may be using cell mediated endocytosis as a predominant way to enter gut and salivary cells and may be travelling directly though the cells rather than travelling in the spaces between cell membranes of individual cells through a process called diacytosis. They also observed damage to muscle cells in the gut and salivary glands of insects infected with "S. citri" which is evidence that "S. citri" causes damage to the beet leafhoppers when it uses them as vectors. However the authors also noted how this damage was not as significant as seen in other insects which may suggest that the beet leafhopper may be co-evolving to reduce harm by "S. citri" pathogens.