Studies on Plum pox potyvirus recombinants
Recombination can occur in virus species, and recently a natural recombinant between an M and a D strain of Plum pox potyvirus (PPV – EPPO A2 quarantine pest) was detected in western Slovakia. Specific molecular tools were used to detect recombinants among isolates collected from Prunus orchards in Slovakia and in France. A relatively high number of recombinants was detected in several localities of western and central Slovakia on plums (Prunus domestica). No recombinant was found in France. In these studies, mixed populations of PPV-D and PPV-M strains were commonly found in Slovakia, whereas only one was detected in France. Under natural conditions, the recombinants did not develop particular symptoms on their hosts. Sequence analysis of the recombinants showed high homology. The authors concluded that PPV recombinants are viable and competitive with conventional PPV-M and D isolates, and that they might be more common than previously assumed.
Sources
|
Glasa, M.; Marie-Jeanne, V.; Labonne, G.; Šubr, Z.; Kúdela, O.; Quiot, J.B. (2002) A natural population of recombinant Plum pox virus is viable and competitive under field conditions.
European Journal of Plant Pathology, 108, 843-853.
|