A Field Survey for Serogroups and the Satellite RNA of Cucumber Mosaic Virus

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Abstract
Collections of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), pepper (capsium annuum), cucurbits, and other species were made in Bermuda and central and western New York State. All samples were assayed directly without passaging through greenhouse hosts. One hundred thirty-four samples tested positive for cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Of these, only two harbored detetable satellite RNA as demonstrated by dot blot hybridization and confirmatory Northern hybridization. Some false-positive dot blot readings occurred with certain sample preparations, but these were easily detected by Northern hybridization. CMV serotyping was performed by using ELISA and antisera specific to the two serogroupings, WT and S. Both CMV serogroups occurred in the field, with the S group occurring mostly in peppers. Eighty-three percent of the CMV-infected samples could be assigned to these two groups with the remainder giving a mixed rection. Infected pepper populations analyzed in two New York locales were found to have high serogroup homogeneity. This survey indicates that satellites are rare and both serogroups are common in the native CMV populations of this study.