A Unique Virus Isolated from Elephant Grass. Claudia Renata F. Martins, Graduate Student, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasilia, 70919 Brasilia, DF, Brazil. E. W. Kitajima, Professor, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasilia, 70919 Brasilia, DF, Brazil. Plant Dis. 77:726-729. Accepted for publication 5 November 1992. Copyright 1993 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-77-0726.

A virus was isolated from leaves of elephant grass plants (Pennisetum purpureum) showing mosaic symptoms. It was mechanically transmitted to a few cultivars of corn (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), but other test plants, including elephant grass, could not be infected. The virus was not transmitted by Myzus persicae or Rhopalosiphum maidis. Antiserum with a titer of 1:4,096 in a microprecipitin test was obtained with virus purified from elephant grass. Antisera against several potyviruses did not react with this virus in double-diffusion or serologically specific electron microscopy. The purified virus had a single capsid protein of 36 kDa. Although viral nucleic acid could not be obtained for characterization, dsRNA of 6.7 mDa was isolated from infected tissues. Elongated virus particles were localized in the cytoplasm by immunocytochemistry. Electron dense tubular material of an unknown nature, in addition to the lamellar inclusions of potyviruses of subgroup I, was also present in the cytoplasm of infected cells. This virus seems to be distinct from previously described potyviruses.