Reovirus-Like Sequences Isolated from Adult Asian Citrus Psyllid, (Hemiptera: Psyllidae: )<I>Diaphorina citri</I>)

Authors

  • Mizuri Marutani-Hert
  • Wayne B. Hunter
  • Catherine S. Katsar
  • Xiomara H. Sinisterra
  • David G. Hall
  • Charles A. Powell

Abstract

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, (Insecta: Hemiptera: Psyllidae), has been identified as a damaging pest and an efficient vector of the plant infecting bacterium (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) which is strongly associated with the disease Huanglongbing (HLB), known as ‘Citrus greening disease’. Huanglongbing has caused extensive economic losses in the citrus industries worldwide. Traditional control measures of the psyllid have proven to be ineffective and costly. Biological control measures have been shown to provide environmentally friendly management tools for insect pests. In this study, an expression library was prepared from adult psyllids in search of new pathogens that can be use as biological control agents. We identified 2 viral sequences: one 616 base pairs and a second, 792 base pairs. Both had significant similarity to viruses within the insect Reovirus group. Phylogenetic and homology comparisons indicated that the viral sequences were most closely related to the viruses in the Family Reoviridae, Genus Fijivirus, specifically Nilaparvata lugens reovirus, NLRV.

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Published

2009-06-01

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Section

Literature Review Articles