First report of tomato infectious chlorosis virus in Spain

During summer 2001, symptoms of interveinal yellowing, bronzing, brittleness and rolling of lower leaves were observed in greenhouse-grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants in Castellon, Eastern Spain. Symptoms resembled those caused by the whitefly-transmitted criniviruses, Tomato infectious chlorosis virus (TICV) and Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) (3). Total RNA was extracted from symptomatic leaves and analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using ToCV- (1) and TICV-specific primers (2). The 501-bp TICV-specific DNA fragment was amplified in 4 out of 9 samples collected in several greenhouses from plants showing interveinal chlorosis; no mixed infections with ToCV were found. The DNA fragment obtained from a Castellon TICV isolate (GenBank Accession No.AF479662) was sequenced and showed 100% and 99% identity with the TICV isolates (Accession Nos. AY048855 and U67449) from Italy and the United States, respectively, confirming the diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TICV in Spain, the second in Europe, together with Italy, and the third in the world.