Detection of pepino mosaic virus on imported tomato fruits in Estonia and Sweden
During 2018 – 2022, 110 samples of imported tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits for consumption were tested for the presence of pepino mosaic virus (Potexvirus pepini, PepMV – EPPO A2 List) in Estonia and Sweden. PepMV was detected by RT-PCR-RFLP in 69 out of 100 samples from Estonia, and in six out of 10 samples from Sweden. The positive samples in Estonia had been imported from Spain, Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Türkiye, while positive samples from Sweden had been imported from the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Nucleotide testing revealed the presence of CH2, US2 and EU strains, both individually and in co-infections. PepMV is not known to occur in Estonia and was only reported once in 2001 in Sweden.
Sources
Just K, Arif U, Kõrve EL, Paats P, Kvarnheden A (2025) Detection of pepino mosaic virus in imported tomato fruit in northern Europe. Plant Pathology 74(8), 2427-2438.