A New Begomovirus Species Causing Tomato Leaf Curl Disease in Patna, India

During December of 2007, a severe leaf curl disease of tomato (ToLCD) occurred in tomato-growing areas in the Patna District of Bihar, India. Viral DNA was isolated from symptomatic tomato plants (2) and begomovirus association was confirmed by PCR using DNA-A degenerate primers (3). Isolated viral DNA was restricted with KpnI and full-length genome was cloned in pUC18. DNA-β was amplified using degenerate primers (1) and cloned in pTZ57RT. Partial tandem repeats of viral genome and DNA-β could infect Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato through Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation. Infected test plants exhibited typical symptoms characteristic of ToLCD. Full-length viral genome (GenBank Accession No. EU862323) consists of 2,752 nt and showed the highest identity (85.8%) with Tomato leaf curl Laos virus-[Laos] (GenBank Accession No. AF195782). The satellite DNA-β component (GenBank Accession No. EU862324) consists of 1,349 nt and showed the highest identity (75.8%) with Tomato leaf curl Joydebpur betasatellite (GenBank Accession No. AJ966244). On the basis of the ICTV species demarcation criteria of 89% of DNA-A sequence identity, the present isolate was considered as a new begomovirus species and named Tomato leaf curl Patna virus (ToLCPaV). Since the isolated DNA-β satellite shares less than 78% identity, it is considered a new species of betasatellite and the name, Tomato leaf curl Patna betasatellite (ToLCPaB) is proposed. These results show that severe ToLCD in Patna is caused by a newly identified species of begomovirus and betasatellite. References: (1) R. W. Briddon et al. Mol. Biotechnol 20:315, 2002. (2) S. Chakraborty et al. Phytopathology 93:1485, 2003. (3) S. D. Wyatt and J. K. Brown. Phytopathology 86:1288, 1996.