First report of the hibiscus strain of citrus leprosis virus C2 (Cilevirus colombiaense) infecting Hoya macgillivrayi in Australia

Abstract

Members of the genus Cilevirus are causative agents of citrus leprosis, an economically important disease of citrus in the Americas. Using high-throughput sequencing, we detected the hibiscus strain of citrus leprosis virus C2 (CiLV-C2H) infecting a cultivated Hoya macgillivrayi plant in Brisbane, Australia. The infection was not systemic, and presumably resulted from the feeding action of false spider mites (Brevipalpus spp.) that acquired the virus from an unidentified source of inoculum. Capsicum chlorosis virus, an orthotospovirus, was also present as a mixed infection, preventing the attribution of symptoms to CiLV-C2H.