During spring 2001, plants of different tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cultivars grown in several commercial fields in the eastern Catalonia Region of Spain had fruit with brown patches and young leaves with rings and a bright necrotic mosaic that progressed to stem necrosis of the apex, which might die and later develop new symptomless shoots. The symptoms were similar to those of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Sap of tomato sample R1 (in buffered saline [0.02 M sodium phosphate, 0.15 M NaCl at pH 7.2, containing 0.2% 2-mercaptoethanol]) was infective to Cucumis sativus (local necrosis), tomato cv. Marmande (systemic infection consisting of chlorotic local lesions and necrotic mosaic), Nicotiana clevelandii and N. benthamiana (chlorosis and rosetting), and Chenopodium quinoa (chlorotic local lesions, systemic mottle, and leaf distortion). The sap was not infective to N. glutinosa, N. tabacum cv. Xanthi, Datura stramonium, or Gomphrena globosa. The host range data indicated that the infective agent in sample R1 could be Parietaria mottle virus (PMoV) (1). Symptomatic plants inoculated in a greenhouse with the R1 isolate and symptomatic from tomato plants from the field were analyzed by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and had minimum ELISA values at least 10-fold higher than healthy controls, using a polyclonal antiserum (provided by P. Roggero) of a tomato strain of PMoV denoted tomato virus 1 (2). The R1 isolate of PMoV was negative in ELISA when analyzed with commercial antisera to TSWV, CMV, Tomato mosaic virus, Tomato bushy stunt virus, Potato Y virus, Tobacco etch virus, Pelargonium zonate spot virus, and Tobacco streak virus.
References: (1) P. Caciagli et al. Plant Pathol. 38:577, 1989. (2) P. Roggero et al. J. Plant Pathol. 82:159, 2000.
