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First Report of Tobacco etch virus Infection in Coleus in the United States

Virus-like disease symptoms consisting of foliar and veinal necrosis similar to those caused by Coleus vein necrosis virus (CVNV) (2) were observed in plants of coleus (Coleus blume Benth.) ‘Rustic Orange’ obtained from retail greenhouse outlets in Missouri and Minnesota. Flexuous, filamentous, 750 to 770 nm virus-like particles (vlps) were observed by transmission electron microscopy in negatively stained partially purified leaf tissue extracts from symptomatic ‘Rustic Orange’ leaf tissue. No other virus-like particles were observed and none were detected in extracts from asymptomatic leaves. These vlps were longer than those of CVNV (640 nm) (2) and were not detected by immunosorbent electron microscopy (ISEM) using antibodies to CVNV (2). Degenerate potyvirus primers PNIbF1 (5′GGBAAYAATAGTGGNCAACC3′) and PCPR1 (5′GGGGAGGTGCCGTTCTCDATRCACCA3′) (1) and total RNA extracted from ‘Rustic Orange’ leaf tissue with a Qiagen RNeasy Kit were used for reverse transcription-PCR with Ready-To-Go RT-PCR Beads (GE Healthcare). A 950-bp amplicon was obtained from total RNA from diseased but not from healthy leaf tissue. The nucleotide sequence of the amplicon (GenBank Accession No. GQ268818) had levels of identity to published Tobacco etch virus (TEV) sequences comprising portions of the nuclear inclusion body (NIb) and coat protein (CP) gene regions ranging from 89% (L38714) to 93% (M15239, M11458). The identity of the virus occurring in ‘Rustic Orange’ was further confirmed by ISEM. Virions were trapped and decorated by antibodies to TEV (ATCC PVAS 32). Systemically infected leaf tissue from Datura stramonium in which the coleus TEV isolate was propagated was used to mechanically inoculate Carborundum-dusted leaves of virus-free test plants of ‘Rustic Orange’ (Park Seed, Greenwood, SC). Inoculated plants developed foliar necrosis symptoms similar to those observed originally, and the presence of TEV was confirmed by ISEM and RT-PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis as described above. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a disease of coleus caused by TEV. Many of approximately 30 ‘Rustic Orange’ plants in one nursery in Minnesota showed similar necrotic foliar symptoms and randomly selected plants tested positive for TEV by ISEM. This suggests that TEV infection in this variety may be spread by vegetative propagation from infected stock plants.

References: (1) Y.-C. Hsu et al. J. Virol. Methods 128:54. 2005. (2) D. S. Mollov et al. Plant Dis. 91:754. 2007.