Plum bark necrosis stem pitting-associated virus in different stone fruit species in Italy

Different Prunus species from Southern Italy with stem pitting symptoms were assayed by RT-PCR for the presence of Plum bark necrosis stem pitting-associated virus (PBNSPaV). DNA of the expected size was amplified from cortical scrapings of almond, peach, plum, apricot, and sweet cherry. The test was repeated monthly on various tissues throughout a year. Different protocols for total nucleic acid extraction and RT-PCR amplification were compared. Virus particles of an Italian apricot isolate (APR-SP1) were purified and used to produce antiserum that reacted in IEM and ELISA with particles of an American PBNSPaV isolate. However, the antiserum did not detect PBNSPaV in crude plant extracts.