ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PATHOGENIC Papaya ringspot virus PRSV-P IN HO CHI MINH CITY

Abstract

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is a common aphid-transmitted potyvirus, seriously affecting cucurbit production worldwide. This study was conducted to isolate, detect and characterize the presence of PRSV. A total of 54 symptomatic samples were collected from papaya and cucurbit plants in Ho Chi Minh city. The results showed that 15 samples were infected with PRSV, of which 12 samples (22%) were identified as PRSV-P and 3 samples as PRSV-W. All PRSV-P infected samples were collected from papaya plants, with no PRSV-P infection detected in cucurbit crops. In Cucumis metuliferus (horned melon), PRSV-P virus concentration could be detected using indirect ELISA at 5 days post-inoculation, while visible symptoms on the leaves appeared at 10 days post-inoculation. RT-PCR using the primer pair SMK 8701(F)/3’UTR(R), followed by sequencing of the PCR products, confirmed the presence of PRSV-P. The coat protein (CP) amino acid and nucleotide sequences showed the highest similarity to the GenBank accession AY010721.1 (Thailand).