Anulavirus, a proposed new genus of plant viruses in the family Bromoviridae

Pelargonium zonate spot virus (PZSV) was first isolated in southern Italy from tomato and tentatively identified as Tobacco streak virus [8]. It was later found in Pelargonium zonale plants showing conspicuous concentric chrome-yellow bands in the leaves, from which it was described and derived its name [9, 5]. New records from tomato came later from Italy [4], Spain [7] and France [6]. The Italian tomato isolate was characterized by Gallitelli [4]. PZSV has a tripartite genome, particles morphologically similar to those of ilarviruses and general properties resembling those of tripartite genome viruses of the family Bromoviridae. Physicochemical and molecular studies have shown that PZSV has specific properties that differ enough from those of viruses in other viral species with similar properties described in the literature [2, 3, 4], to support the likelihood that it should be classified in a novel taxon. The establishment of a new genus named Anulavirus (from "anular" Latin for concentric, because of the type of symptoms shown by its main natural hosts) having PZSV as the type species was therefore proposed to and approved by the Executive Committee (EC) of ICTV at its 2004 mid-term meeting in Kingston, Ontario. Formal ratification by the full membership of ICTV will be sought after further consideration by the EC and prior to the next Plenary Meeting in San Francisco in 2005.