scholarly journals Detection and Distribution of Viruses Infecting Field-grown Sweetpotato in East Africa

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 972A-972
Author(s):  
Douglas Miano ◽  
Don LaBonte ◽  
Christopher Clark

Sweetpotato is an important staple food crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, with production being concentrated in East Africa, particularly around Lake Victoria. Productivity of the crop is greatly constrained by viral diseases. Four main viruses have consistently been detected from various surveys done in the region viz., sweetpotato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), sweetpotato mild mottle virus (Sp.m.MV), and sweetpotato chlorotic fleck virus (SPCFV). The most severe symptoms have been caused by co-infection with SPCSV and SPFMV, resulting in the synergistic sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD). Some local sweetpotato genotypes have been reported to recover from, or have localized distribution of SPVD, suggesting that the disease is not fully systemic. This has led to the suggestion that uninfected cuttings may be obtained from previously infected plants. Experiments were set to determine the possibility of obtaining cuttings long enough for propagation that are free from virus infection. This would form a basis for recommending to the local small-holder farmers of a way to reduce losses due to the disease. Field-grown sweetpotato vines were cut into three pieces (15, 15–30, and >30 cm from the apex) and tested for SPCSV and SPFMV. Nine genotypes were selected from a group of 21 local clones and used for this study. The two viruses were equally present in all the three sections of infected vines, indicating that it is not easy to obtain a virus-free cutting for field propagation from an infected vine. Virus assays in the past has mainly been limited to the use of serological methods. Use of PCR resulted in detection of begomoviruses infecting sweetpotatoes for the first time in the region.

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 517B-517
Author(s):  
D.W. Miano ◽  
D. R. LaBonte ◽  
C. A. Clark

Sweetpotato is an important staple food crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, with production being concentrated in East Africa, particularly around Lake Victoria. Productivity of the crop is greatly constrained by viral diseases. Four main viruses have consistently been detected from various surveys done in the region viz. sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), sweet potato mild mottle virus (SPMMV), and sweet potato chlorotic fleck virus (SPCFV). Sweet potato caulimo-like virus (SPCaLV), sweet potato latent virus (SPLV), and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) have also been detected though only in isolated cases. The most severe symptoms have been caused by co-infection with SPCSV and SPFMV, resulting in the synergistic Sweet potato virus disease (SPVD). Yield reductions due to virus infections have been estimated to be >90% in very severe cases. Virus detection has mainly been limited to the use of serological methods. Some plants have been observed with symptoms resembling those caused by viruses, but do not react with available antisera, indicating that the plants could be infected with viruses that have not been described, or not tested in the region. Use of other detection techniques such as PCR may result in identification of more viruses in the region. This report gives a summary of our research efforts towards detection of other viruses present in the region, and identification of resistant germplasm.


2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.E. Stathers ◽  
W. Riwa ◽  
B.M. Mvumi ◽  
R. Mosha ◽  
L. Kitandu ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke A Braidwood ◽  
Diego F Quito-Avila ◽  
Darlene Cabanas ◽  
Alberto Bressan ◽  
Anne Wangai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMaize chlorotic mottle virushas been rapidly spreading around the globe over the past decade. The interactions ofMaize chlorotic mottle viruswith potyviridae viruses causes an aggressive synergistic viral condition - maize lethal necrosis, which can cause total yield loss. Maize production in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the most important cereal, is threatened by the arrival of maize lethal necrosis. We obtainedMaize chlorotic mottle virusgenome sequences from across East Africa and for the first time from Ecuador and Hawaii, and constructed a phylogeny which highlights the similarity of Chinese to African isolates, and Ecuadorian to Hawaiian isolates. We used a measure of clustering, the adjusted Rand index, to extract region-specific SNPs and coding variation that can be used for diagnostics. The population genetics analysis we performed shows that the majority of sequence diversity is partitioned between populations, with diversity extremely low within China and East Africa.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 517C-517
Author(s):  
D.W. Miano ◽  
D. R. LaBonte ◽  
C. A. Clark

Sweet potato virus disease (SPVD) is a major constraint to sweetpotato production in East Africa. The disease is a result of co-infection with sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) and sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). Some local sweetpotato genotypes have been reported to recover from, or have localized distribution of SPVD, suggesting that the disease is not fully systemic. This has led to the suggestion that uninfected cuttings may be obtained from previously infected plants. Experiments were set to determine the possibility of obtaining cuttings long enough for propagation that are free from virus infection. This would form a basis for recommending to the local small-holder farmers of a way to reduce losses due to the disease. Field grown sweetpotato vines were cut into three pieces (15, 15 to 30, and >30 cm from the apex) and tested for SPCSV and SPFMV. Nine genotypes were selected from a group of 21 local clones and used for this study. The two viruses were equally present in all the three sections of infected vines, indicating that it is not easy to obtain a virus free cutting for field propagation from an infected vine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balogun Olaoye Solomon ◽  
Ajayi Olukayode Solomon ◽  
Owolabi Temitayo Abidemi ◽  
Oladimeji Abdulkarbir Oladele ◽  
Liu Zhiqiang

: Cissus aralioides is a medicinal plant used in sub-Saharan Africa for treatment of infectious diseases; however the chemical constituents of the plant have not been investigated. Thus, in this study, attempt was made at identifying predominant phytochemical constituents of the plant through chromatographic purification and silylation of the plant extract, and subsequent characterization using spectroscopic and GC-MS techniques. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) for the antibacterial activities of the plant extract, chromatographic fractions and isolated compounds were also examined. Chromatographic purification of the ethyl acetate fraction from the whole plant afforded three compounds: β-sitosterol (1), stigmasterol (2) and friedelin (3). The phytosterols (1 and 2) were obtained together as a mixture. The GC-MS analysis of silylated extract indicated alcohols, fatty acids and sugars as predominant classes, with composition of 24.62, 36.90 and 26.52% respectively. Results of MICs indicated that friedelin and other chromatographic fractions had values (0.0626-1.0 mg/mL) comparable with the standard antibiotics used. Characterization of natural products from C. aralioides is being reported for the first time in this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 307 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mytnik Joanna ◽  
Davies L. Kevin ◽  
Narajczyk Magdalena ◽  
Łuszczek Dorota ◽  
Kubiak Joanna ◽  
...  

AbstractPolystachya is a large, pantropical orchid genus of 200 species, most of which occur as epiphytes in sub-saharan Africa. The three-lobed labellum of most Polystachya species possesses a fleshy callus and various types of trichomes and papillae. In this paper, we present the results of micromorphological studies on the labellum of 20 species, representing eight of the 13 sections in the genus, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our results show the scale of infrageneric diversity of trichomes and papillae relative to the sampled sections. They also demonstrate the taxonomic value of labellar micromorphology at the sectional level. The study revealed seven types of papillae and five types of trichomes (uni- and multi-cellular) in Polystachya, some of which, are described here for the first time. Clavate trichomes are the most common and are present in 60% of the species studied. Moniliform trichomes mainly occur in sect. Polystachya and are strongly characteristic of the section. Pseudopollen is formed by fragmentation of moniliform trichomes or the detachment of other trichomes as bicellular units. We provide, for the first time, evidence for the detachment of the terminal cells of capitate trichomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Weglage ◽  
Friederike Wolters ◽  
Laura Hehr ◽  
Jakob Lichtenberger ◽  
Celina Wulz ◽  
...  

AbstractSchistosomiasis (bilharzia) is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, with considerable morbidity in parts of the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia, in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly also in Europe. The WHO describes an increasing global health burden with more than 290 million people threatened by the disease and a potential to spread into regions with temperate climates like Corsica, France. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of S. mansoni infection on colorectal carcinogenic signaling pathways in vivo and in vitro. S. mansoni infection, soluble egg antigens (SEA) and the Interleukin-4-inducing principle from S. mansoni eggs induce Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the protooncogene c-Jun as well as downstream factor Cyclin D1 and markers for DNA-damage, such as Parp1 and γH2a.x in enterocytes. The presence of these characteristic hallmarks of colorectal carcinogenesis was confirmed in colon biopsies from S. mansoni-infected patients demonstrating the clinical relevance of our findings. For the first time it was shown that S. mansoni SEA may be involved in the induction of colorectal carcinoma-associated signaling pathways.


Author(s):  
Daniel Kepple ◽  
Alfred Hubbard ◽  
Musab M Ali ◽  
Beka R Abargero ◽  
Karen Lopez ◽  
...  

Abstract Plasmodium vivax malaria was thought to be rare in Africa, but an increasing number of P. vivax cases reported across Africa and in Duffy-negative individuals challenges this conventional dogma. The genetic characteristics of P. vivax in Duffy-negative infections, the transmission of P. vivax in East Africa, and the impact of environments on transmission remain largely unknown. This study examined genetic and transmission features of P. vivax from 107 Duffy-negative and 305 Duffy-positive individuals in Ethiopia and Sudan. No clear genetic differentiation was found in P. vivax between the two Duffy groups, indicating between-host transmission. P. vivax from Ethiopia and Sudan showed similar genetic clusters, except samples from Khartoum, possibly due to distance and road density that inhibited parasite gene flow. This study is the first to show that P. vivax can transmit to and from Duffy-negative individuals and provides critical insights into the spread of P. vivax in sub-Saharan Africa.


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