A Polyvalent Tool for Detecting Coguviruses in Multiple Hosts Allowed the Identification of a Novel Seed-Transmitted Coguvirus Infecting Brassicaceae

The genus Coguvirus, a recently established genus in the family Phenuiviridae, includes several species whose members infect both woody and herbaceous hosts, suggesting a broader host range and wider distribution than previously. To gain insights into the epidemiology and biology of coguviruses, a polyvalent reverse transcription-PCR assay using degenerate primers was developed. The specificity of the assay for coguviruses was confirmed by testing citrus and apple plants infected by previously reported coguviruses and/or several unrelated viruses. The expected 236-bp amplicon was obtained from citrus, apple, pear, watermelon, and several species of the family Brassicaceae. Sequencing of the PCR amplicons allowed the identification, for the first time in Italy and/or Europe, of several coguviruses in multiple hosts, confirming the effectiveness of the assay. Moreover, a new virus, tentatively named Brassica oleracea Torzella virus 1 (BoTV1), was detected in several plants of Torzella ca...