The Mode of Transmission of Banana streak virus by Paracoccus burnerae (Homiptera, Planococcidae) Vector is Non-circulative | Chapter 01 | Recent Advances in Biological Research Vol. 3
The causative agent of banana streak disease (BSD) is Banana streak virus (BSV). In tropical countries such as Kenya, the virus causes considerable damage to the banana crop besides lowering banana production yields. Several mealy-bug species have been reported as vectors of BSV. The latent and retention time of the BSV in the oleander mealy-bug (Paracoccus burnerae) is however unknown. The latent and retention times of viruses in disease vectors are important characteristics in the determination of the mode of transmission of viruses by their vectors. The purpose of this study was to determine the latent and retention time of the BSV in its vector, P. burnerae. We employed both the Immuno-capture Polymerase Chain Reaction (IC-PCR) and Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA) techniques to select diseased and healthy plantlets for transmission trials. RCA assays were performed on the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples of viruliferous mealy-bug instars of P. burnerae and on the DNA of vir...