Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418871
Research Project: Developing Genomic and Biological Resources to Characterize, Diagnose and Detect Emerging and Invasive Vectored Bacterial and Viral Plant Pathogens for Safeguarding U.S. Agriculture

Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research

Title: Phylogenetic reconstruction from sequences of Plum pox virus samples collected in the United States point to multiple, independent introductions

Author
item Rogers, Elizabeth
item Stone, Andrew
item Sherman, Diana

Submitted to: PhytoFrontiers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/27/2025
Publication Date: 3/30/2025
Citation: Rogers, E.E., Stone, A.L., Sherman, D.J. 2025. Phylogenetic reconstruction from sequences of plum virus samples collected in the United States point to multiple, independent introductions. PhytoFrontiers. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-09-24-0097-SC.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-09-24-0097-SC

Interpretive Summary: Plum pox virus infects peaches, plum, nectarines, almonds and other related stone fruits, causing a damaging disease. Plum pox was first detected in the United States in south-central Pennsylvania in 1999. A massive survey, testing, and outreach program resulted in the eradication of plum pox from the U.S. by 2019. Here we report full nucleotide sequences from six positive plum pox samples found during surveying. This detailed information allows for the estimation of relationships among viral isolates and can help determine the origins of a given isolate. There appear to have been at least five independent introductions of plum pox into the U.S., probably from Europe, within the last 60 or so years. Therefore, continued monitoring will likely be required to keep U.S. stone fruit crops free of this damaging virus.

Technical Abstract: Plum pox virus (PPV) is a serious threat to peach, plum, almond and other stone fruit production worldwide. It has spread from Europe to most major Prunus cultivation areas worldwide. The major exception is the United States. PPV was discovered in Pennsylvania in 1999 and, after a massive survey effort, declared eradicated 20 years later, following the last positive find in 2015. In this study, the full genome sequences of six PPV finds from the eradication effort are presented. They all belong to strain D; however, there is up to 1.8% nucleotide sequence diversity among them. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that all previously published U.S. PPV sequences and two of the ones reported here are highly similar, consistent with all of them arising from a single introduction to south-central Pennsylvania at some point in the mid to late 20th century. However, four of the PPV sequences reported here are significantly different from ones in the Pennsylvania epicenter and are likely to be separate, independent introductions of PPV into the U.S, most probably directly from Europe. Since there appear to have been at least five separate introductions of PPV into the U.S., continued diagnostic surveys will likely be required to keep U.S. agriculture free of this damaging virus.