Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312972
Title: History and diversity of Citrus leprosis virus recorded in herbarium specimens

Author
item Hartung, John
item ROY, AVIJIT - University Of Florida
item FU, SHIMIN - Chongqing University
item Shao, Jonathan
item Schneider, William
item BRLANSKY, RONALD - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2015
Publication Date: 9/1/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61524
Citation: Hartung, J.S., Roy, A., Fu, S., Shao, J.Y., Schneider, W.L., Brlansky, R.H. 2015. History and diversity of Citrus leprosis virus recorded in herbarium specimens. Phytopathology. 105:1277-1284. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-03-15-0064-R.

Interpretive Summary: Citrus leprosis disease is at the same time an emerging, a current and a historical problem. Two very different viruses are associated with this disease. Neither virus occurs in the USA today, although leprosis disease was originally described from Florida in 1914 and was a problem for Florida citrus prior to the 1960’s, at which time the disease disappeared. Which virus existed in Florida in the 20th century was not known. The USDA ARS maintains a collection of citrus samples that were taken to document interception of restricted pathogens at border inspection stations. This includes samples identified at the inspection stations 50 or more years ago as citrus leprosis. These samples originated throughout South and Central America as well as from Florida. We applied advanced genome sequencing methods to selected samples from this collection. We obtained excellent genome sequence data from a leprosis sample intercepted from Argentina in 1967 and another sample obtained in Florida in 1948. The sample from Florida is a novel form of the virus, not known to exist anywhere in the world today. Our results will be of interest to the research community who want to study the distribution and evolution of viruses over time. Our data also may be used for improved detection and diagnosis of this group of viruses.

Technical Abstract: Citrus leprosis disease is at the same time an emerging, a current and a historical problem. Two distinct viruses are associated with this disease, one that produces particles primarily in the nucleus of infected plant cells (CiLV-N; Dichorhavirus) and another, much more widespread type that produces particles in the cytoplasm of infected plant cells (CiLV-C, Cilevirus). Neither form of the virus occurs in the USA today, although leprosis disease was originally described from Florida and was a problem for Florida citrus prior to the 1960’s, at which time the disease disappeared. The USDA ARS at Beltsville, MD, maintains a collection of disease samples from citrus that were taken to document interception of restricted pathogens at border inspection stations. This includes samples identified at the inspection stations 50 or more years ago as citrus leprosis. We have applied Next Generation degradome sequencing to selected samples. We have obtained near full length genome sequences of both a typical CiLV-C isolate intercepted from Argentina in 1967 and another CiLV-N isolate obtained in Florida in 1948. The latter is a novel form of CiLV-N, not known to exist anywhere in the world today. We have also documented the presence of CiLV-N in Mexico in the mid 20th century.