Development of sensitive molecular assays for the detection of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 in an insect vector

• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-019-04310-0
• Publication Date: 2019-06-12T06:47:02Z
• Authors: Brogan McGreal; Manoharie Sandana...; Kar Mun Chooi; Robin MacDiarmid
• Keywords: Hemiptera; 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; Vitis; Closteroviridae; Insect Vectors; Plant Diseases; 3. Good health

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) is an economically significant virus of grapevines, with secondary spread mediated by several species of mealybug and soft scale insects. To better understand virus-vector interactions, sensitive virus detection in these insects is a key tool. In this research, two new hydrolysis-probe-based real-time assays for GLRaV-3 detection were developed and compared to three existing assays. Of the five assays compared, the one-step RT-qPCR probe-based assay was the most sensitive and reliable, with as few as 10 virus RNA copies detected. This is the first description of a real-time molecular assay for virus detection in mealybugs with such sensitivity.