Molecular, ultrastructural, and biological characterization of Pennsylvania isolates of Plum pox virus.
Plum pox virus (PPV) was identified in Pennsylvania in 1999. The outbreak was limited to a four-county region in southern Pennsylvania. Initial serological and molecular characterization indicated that the isolates in Pennsylvania belong to the D strain of PPV. The Pennsylvania isolates were characterized by sequence analysis, electron microscopy, host range, and vector transmission to determine how these isolates related to their previously studied European counterparts. Genetically, Pennsylvania (PPV-Penn) isolates were more closely related to each other than to any other PPV-D strains, and isolates from the United States, Canada, and Chile were more closely related to each other than to European isolates. The PPV-Penn isolates exist as two clades, suggesting the possibility of multiple introductions. Electron microscopy analysis of PPV-Penn isolates, including cytopathological studies, indicated that the virions were similar to other Potyvirus spp. PPV-Penn isolates had a herbaceous host range similar to that of European D isolates. There were distinct differences in the transmission efficiencies of the two PPV-Penn isolates using Myzus persicae and Aphis spiraecola as vectors; however, both PPV-Penn isolates were transmitted by M. persicae more efficiently than a European D isolate but less efficiently than a European M isolate.
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ft. Detrick, MD, USA. william.schneider@ars.usda.gov
William L
WL
Schneider
Vernon D
VD
Damsteegt
Fred E
FE
Gildow
Andrew L
AL
Stone
Diana J
DJ
Sherman
Laurene E
LE
Levy
Vessela
V
Mavrodieva
Nancy
N
Richwine
Ruth
R
Welliver
Douglas G
DG
Luster
D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D058507:Host Specificity; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000821:virology*; D017801:Plum Pox Virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D027861:Prunus / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004279:DNA, Viral