Serological typing of red clover necrotic mosaic virus isolates by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) enabled a more precise serological typing of isolates of red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV) originating from Slovak and Czech Republics, Poland, Sweden and Great Britain. We found 5 isolates of serotype A, 14 isolates of serotype B, and 6 isolates of serotype C. Some isolates represented mixtures of serotypes, namely A+B (1 isolate), A+C (1), B+C (7), and A+B+C (5). ELISA was found to be a more suitable method of serotype identification of RCNMV isolates than the double diffusion agar gel test for its higher sensitivity and greater selectivity.