Molecular Identification of Cassava Mosaic Begomoviruses Associated with Cassava Mosaic Disease in the DR-Congo Using Primer Pairs
Marcel Muengula-Manyi
Unit of Phytopathology, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 117 Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of Congo
Claude Bragard
Earth and Life Institute, Applied Microbiology-Phytopathology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 2 bte 3, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Stephan Winter
Plant Virus Collection, DSMZ Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkuturen GmbH, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany
Adrien Kalonji-Mbuyi
Unit of Phytopathology, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 117 Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of Congo and Regional Nuclear Energy Center, Kinshasa (CRENK), P.O. Box 868 Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of Congo
Kabwe K. C. Nkongolo *
Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 3C6, Canada
Djim Tshilenge-Kanana
Unit of Phytopathology, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Kinshasa, P.O. Box 117 Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of Congo
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Molecular analysis of cassava leaf samples from different regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR-Congo) was conducted to identify cassava mosaic begomoviruses (CMBs) associated with cassava infections in farmers' fields in Gandajika (Eastern Kasai), Bas-Congo and Kinshasa. Four specific primer pairs M1F/M1R, M2F/M2R, Begomo 146/Begomo 672, and EAC4F/EAC4R were used to detect East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV) AC2, African Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV) AC2, ACMV DNA-A, and EACMV-UG DNA-A AC4, respectively. Based on PCR analysis, only African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV-UG) were identified in the cassava growing regions. Overall, 67% of cassava samples were infected with ACMV, 10% with EACMV-UG, and 10% with both, ACMV and EACMV-UG. No virus was detected in 13% of symptomatic samples. Thus, although EACMV-UGG is present in targeted areas, ACMV remained the most common CMB in the DR-Congo.
Keywords: Polymerase chain reaction, cassava mosaic disease, African cassava mosaic virus, east African cassava mosaic virus, DR Congo