First Report of Pepino Mosaic Virus on Tomato

Abstract

Early in 1999 a new viral disease occurred in protected tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) crops in the Netherlands. Infected plants showed yellow leaf spots and mosaic. Transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed particles typical of potexviruses. Only three potexviruses have been reported to infect solanaceous crops: Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV), Potato aucuba mosaic virus (PAMV), and Potato virus X (PVX). Inoculation of test plants and serological tests showed that the new virus clearly differed from PAMV and PVX. Immuno-electron microscopy with antiserum to PepMV (1), the original PepMV isolate, and the virus from tomato showed decoration titers of 1:800 (homologous) and 1:400, respectively. Neither virus reacted with antiserum to PVX, nor did PVX react with antiserum to PepMV. Results of host plant analysis with 17 plant species mostly resembled those expected for PepMV. Nucleotide sequence alignment of DNA fragments obtained by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction with a specific primer set for potexviruses, directed against the RNA polymerase region, showed 93% identity between PepMV and the virus from tomato, while homologies with PVX, PAMV, and other potexviruses were <60%. Results indicate that the potexvirus in tomato is PepMV. PepMV was first found in pepino (Solanum muricatum) in Peru in 1974 and described by Jones et al. in 1980 (1). This is the first report of a natural infection of tomato by PepMV. Reference: (1) R. Jones et al. Ann. Appl. Biol. 94:61, 1980.