Detection of Jasmine virus H and characterization of a second pelarspovirus infecting star jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum) and angelwing jasmine (J. nitidum) plants displaying virus-like symptoms

Star jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum) plants growing in Hawaii expressing a diverse array of virus-like foliar symptoms were examined for the presence of a causal agent. Symptomatic tissues collected from three locations on the island of Oahu, Hawaii consistently harbored double-stranded (ds)RNAs approximately 4.2 and 1.7 kbp in size. Sanger and high-throughput sequencing approaches revealed these dsRNAs were from two distinct virus species co-infecting the same host plant. One of these two viruses was the recently characterized Jasmine virus H (JaVH), and the second we designated as Jasmine mosaic-associated virus (JMaV). Both viruses were subsequently found, by high-throughput sequencing, in a single angelwing jasmine (J. nitidum) plant exhibiting similar ringspot symptoms and growing at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC. Phylogenetic placement, genome organization, and sequence comparisons indicate these two viruses are classifiable as members of the genus Pelarspovirus (family Tombusviridae). To determine if either of these viruses were associated with the observed symptoms, a PCR-based detection assay was developed to detect and distinguish these two viruses in several Hawaii-grown plants. All 32 samples collected from four Oahu locations displayed symptoms. All 32 samples were positive for JaVH, and 16 were positive for JMaV. An asymptomatic star jasmine plant from the island of Hawaii was negative for both JaVH and JMaV. Both viruses were also found in a symptomatic J. sambac sample from Maryland while only JMaV was detected in a symptomatic Jasminum sp. sample from California.