AI Summary
The article discusses the development of a reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay for the rapid detection of the economically important plant virus Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) from thrips vectors. The assay can be completed in 25 minutes with sensitivity comparable to other detection methods. This new tool could enhance the ability to predict and manage virus outbreaks in agricultural regions like the Salinas Valley.
The plant virus, Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), is an economically important pathogen of vegetables, fruits, and ornamental crops. INSV is vectored by the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, a small insect pest that is globally distributed. In recent years, INSV outbreaks have reached epidemic levels in the Salinas Valley of California—an agriculturally rich region where most of the lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is produced in the United States. Due to the obligate nature in which virus transmission occurs, new tools that could rapidly detect INSV from thrips vectors would enhance our ability to predict where virus outbreaks may occur. Here, we report on the development of a reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay that can detect INSV from individual thrips. The assay uses crude extraction methods, is performed at a single temperature of 42 °C, can be completed in 25 min, and provides sensitivity levels that are comparable to other available detection methods. When the assay was used on field populations of thrips, INSV was successfully identified and quantified from individual larvae and adults. The work provides a new cost-effective surveillance tool that can rapidly detect INSV from its insect vector and from plants.
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a high-value leafy green vegetable that is worth over one billion U.S. dollars annually in the Salinas Valley of California, a region often referred