Detection of banana streak virus (BSV) Tamil Nadu isolate (India) and its serological relationship with other badna viruses

Abstract

Banana streak virus (BSV) is of quarantine significance since Musa is a vegetatively propagated crop. Diagnosis by symptomatology is unreliable because the symptoms are variable or absent. Hence, reliable and sensitive diagnostic tests are of major significance. Such sensitive diagnostic tests are also required for virus indexing of germplasm collections. Hence, attempts were made for diagnosis of BSV and to study the serological relationship with other badna viruses. BSV particles were purified from BSV infected plants, collected from the locality of Tamil Nadu, India. Immunosorbent electron microscopy studies revealed bacilliform viral particles with a size of 120 x 30 nm. Polyclonal antiserum raised against BSV reacted with the rice tungro bacilliform virus and sugarcane bacilliform virus in TAS ELISA. In PCR assays, the primers designed to amplify DNA of BSV Onne isolate amplified DNA of BSV Tamil Nadu isolate producing amplicons of about 644 bp in size. The primers used in PCR to amplify the BSV did not amplify other badna viruses tested such as Rice tungro bacilliform virus and Sugarcane bacilliform virus. Our results suggest that the BSV isolate from Tamil Nadu is closely related to Nigerian BSV (Onne) isolate.

Keywords: Triple Antibody sandwich Enzyme linked immunosorbent Assay (TAS ELISA), banana streak virus (BSV), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), polyclonal antiserum