title: Frequent migration of introduced cucurbit-infecting begomoviruses among Middle Eastern countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the early 2000s, two cucurbit-infecting begomoviruses were introduced into the eastern Mediterranean basin: the Old World Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) and the New World Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV). These viruses have been emerging in parallel over the last decade in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.
  
  
  METHODS
  We explored this unique situation by assessing the diversity and biogeography of the DNA-A component of SLCV and WmCSV in these five countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was fairly low sequence variation in both begomovirus species (SLCV π = 0.0077; WmCSV π = 0.0066). Both viruses may have been introduced only once into the eastern Mediterranean basin, but once established, these viruses readily moved across country boundaries. SLCV has been introduced at least twice into each of all five countries based on the absence of monophyletic clades. Similarly, WmCSV has been introduced multiple times into Jordan, Israel and Palestine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We predict that uncontrolled movement of whiteflies among countries in this region will continue to cause SLCV and WmCSV migration, preventing strong genetic differentiation of these viruses among these countries.
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lapidot
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gelbart
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gal-On
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sela
authors.forename: Ghandi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anfoka
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haj Ahmed
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abou-Jawada
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sobh
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mazyad
authors.forename: Aboul-Ata E
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Aboul-Ata
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamal El-Attar
authors.forename: Mohammed S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ali-Shtayeh
authors.forename: Rana M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jamous
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Polston
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick NJ 08901, USA. duffy@aesop.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Siobain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D053839:Begomovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D028464:Cucurbita / Q000821:virology*; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D058865:Introduced Species / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008877:Middle East; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology*