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POSTERS: New and Emerging Diseases II

P-472 - Identification of additional plant hosts of kitaviruses using conventional and in silico approaches.

Tuesday, August 5, 2025
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3

    Presenting Author(s)

  • JH

    Jordie Ho

    University of Hawaii At Manoa
    Honolulu, HI, USA

    • Author(s)

  • AO

    Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology, Iowa State University
    Ames, IA, USA

  • JH

    John Hu

    University of Hawaii at Manoa
    Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

  • MM

    Michael Melzer

    University of Hawaii
    Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Abstract Text: Hibiscus green spot virus 2 (HGSV-2, Higrevirus waimanalo, family Kitaviridae) is a citrus leprosis-like virus infecting citrus and Hibiscus spp., whose presence is limited to Hawaii and Brazil. This study reports the first detection of HGSV-2 in lonomea (Sapindus oahuensis), an endemic Hawaiian tree of cultural significance. Symptomatic lonomea leaves displaying dark green ringspots were collected from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus in April 2024. High-throughput sequencing suggested an HGSV-2 infection that was confirmed with PCR assays. Sequence analyses revealed 97-100% nucleotide identity to HGSV-2 genomic RNAs. Additionally, data mining of twenty Sequence Read Archive (SRA) datasets were used to investigate the potential broader host range of kitaviruses. While no additional hosts for HGSV-2 were identified through data mining, new hosts for other kitaviruses were discovered. The hibiscus yellow blotch virus genome was assembled from Atractylodes lancea and Rhododendron molle datasets, while the pistachio virus X genome was assembled from Gossypium hirsutum (upland cotton) datasets. These findings expand the natural host range of kitaviruses and highlight the importance of combining traditional surveillance with data mining to monitor emerging plant viruses. The detection of HGSV-2 in a new plant family (Sapindaceae) suggests potential for further host range expansion and underscores the need for continued monitoring of plant viruses in endemic plant species in Hawaiʻi.