The genetic diversity of ampeloviruses in Australian pineapples and their association with mealybug wilt disease

• Published in: Australasian plant pathology 2008-01, Vol.37 (2), p.95-105
• Main Authors: Gambley, C.F, Steele, V, Geering, A.D.W, Thomas, J.E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Amino acid sequence; Ananas comosus; Ananas comosus closterovirid; Biomedical and Life Sciences; closterovirid; Closteroviridae; Closterovirus; Crops; DNA-directed RNA polymerase; Dysmicoccus brevipes; Ecology; Entomology; Evolution; Genetic diversity; Heat shock proteins; Life Sciences; mealybug wilt of pineapple; Open reading frames; Phylogeny; Pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; Plant viruses; RNA-directed RNA polymerase; Statistical analysis; Wilt
• ISSN: 0815-3191; 0156-0972; 1448-6032
• DOI: 10.1071/AP07096

Pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus 1 (PMWaV-1), 2 (PMWaV-2) and - 3 (PMWaV-3) have been detected in Australian commercial pineapple crops, along with a previously undescribed ampelovirus, for which the name Pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus 5 (PMWaV-5) is proposed. Partial sequences extending from open reading frame 1b through to the heat shock protein homologue were obtained for PMWaV-1, -3 and -5. Phylogenetic analyses of selected regions of these sequences indicated that PMWaV-5 is a distinct species and most closely related to PMWaV-1. The amino acid sequence variation observed in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region of PMWaV-1 isolates was 95.8–98.4% and of PMWaV-3 isolates was 92.2–99.5%. In surveys of mealybug wilt disease (MWD) affected crops, none of the four viruses was clearly associated with the disease at all survey sites. A statistically significant association ( P