Detection and Molecular Characterization of Grapevine Virus A in Jordan

Abstract

In a study on grapevines in Jordan conducted between 2002 and 2003, grapevine virus A (GVA) was detected in all areas where grapevines were planted. DAS-ELISA analysis of samples from symptomatic trees found that 16.1% of samples were infected with GVA. Using a GVA- specific primer pair (H587/C995), a portion of the coat protein gene of the virus was amplified by IC-RT-PCR and RT-PCR, using leaf extracts and RNA extracted from infected grapevines respectively. After cloning and sequencing the coat protein gene of the Jordanian isolate of GVA (GVA-Jo), the sequence of the amplified product was compared with sequences of other GVA isolates from different countries.