Emerging and Reemerging Plant Viruses in a Changing World: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viruses of Plants, Fungi and Protozoa".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1347

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection of Italian National Research Council (IPSP-CNR), Portici, NA, Italy
Interests: plant virome analysis; plant resistance to viruses; plant-virus-vector relationships
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, numerous factors have contributed to the spread of serious viral diseases in plants. Some current examples include the epidemics caused by ToLCNDV in cucurbits in several countries of the Mediterranean basin, transmitted by its efficient vector Bemisia tabaci, and those caused by the ToBRFV, a seed-borne virus which is considered a global threat to tomato production. The establishment of a viral infection is genetically determined by the availability of host factors necessary for virus replication and movement, and by the balance between plant defense and the viral suppression of defense responses. Continuous planetary changes influence these factors and are relevant to such infections in their alteration of the pathogen’s pressure, the exposure to pathogens, the plant response to infection, or their ability to facilitate the introduction of viruses and vectors into new areas. Furthermore, the expansion of agricultural frontiers leads to greater contact between natural and altered ecosystems, increasing the exposure of plants to new viruses. In particular, ongoing climate change alters the distribution and phenology of plant virus vectors, resulting in the spread of viruses that have colonized or recolonized new areas and new hosts, most often in mixed infections, while global trade leads to the unwilling movement of plants, viruses, and vectors, contributing to their worldwide diffusion.

This Special Issue welcomes original research submissions and perspective and review articles focused on epidemiology, transmission pathways and natural cycles, and virulence and plant resistance concerning new emerging and re-emerging viruses. Methods papers covering the development and evaluation of diagnostic assays for the diagnosis of new emerging viruses are also welcome. Studies aiming at the discovery of new viruses (together with physiological insights into virus and/or host life histories), or at establishing the pathogenesis of viruses correlating to global changes, are also within the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Giuseppe Parrella
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • emerging and re-emerging viruses
  • virus spillover
  • climate change and global trade
  • mixed infections
  • plant–virus–vector relationships

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 928 KB  
Article
Mild to Virulent: Coat Protein Mutations Restore Mosaic Symptom Induction in a Korean PepMV Isolate
by Thuy T. B. Vo, Marjia Tabassum, Ika Agus Rini, Bupi Nattanong, Hyo-Jin Im, Minkwan Kim, Hee-Seong Byun, Hae-Ryun Kwak and Sukchan Lee
Viruses 2026, 18(2), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18020175 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 652
Abstract
Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) is a significant threat to global tomato production, with symptom severity varying widely among strains and often leading to significant economic losses. Despite extensive studies on aggressive variants, the molecular determinants of mild symptomatology in field isolates, particularly from [...] Read more.
Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) is a significant threat to global tomato production, with symptom severity varying widely among strains and often leading to significant economic losses. Despite extensive studies on aggressive variants, the molecular determinants of mild symptomatology in field isolates, particularly from Korea, remain underexplored. In this study, we characterized a mildly infecting PepMV isolate from asymptomatic tomato plants during a field survey in Jeonju, South Korea. The full-length genome sequence and phylogenetic analysis classified it as a CH2 strain. A full-length cDNA infectious clone of this isolate was constructed and confirmed to induce no mosaic symptoms in tomato plants. To identify symptom determinants, targeted mutagenesis was performed in the coat protein (CP) open reading frame. Substitution mutations at CP position 236 or combined 6/155 substitutions converted the mild isolate into a severe variant, inducing strong mosaic symptoms and significantly higher viral accumulation (up to tenfold). These results demonstrated that specific CP residues act as key regulators of symptom severity in PepMV CH2 strains and provide defined severe mutants as useful tools for screening resistance in tomatoes. Although the mechanism underlying symptom modulation remains unclear, this work advanced our understanding of molecular differences between mild and severe strains and supported targeted strategies for managing this economically important virus. Full article
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11 pages, 2041 KB  
Communication
Virome Analysis of Lemon Plants with Vein Clearing Symptoms Reveals Mixed Infection of Citrus Vein Clearing Virus, Iris Domestica Betaflexivirus 1 and Hop Stunt Viroid
by Myeonghwan Kwak, Eui-Joon Kil, Angelo De Stradis and Giuseppe Parrella
Viruses 2026, 18(1), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010141 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 392
Abstract
Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) is the causative agent of the yellow vein clearing disease (YVCD), a worldwide and highly destructive disease in lemon (Citrus lemon) and sour orange trees (C. aurantium). The typical symptoms of vein clearing [...] Read more.
Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) is the causative agent of the yellow vein clearing disease (YVCD), a worldwide and highly destructive disease in lemon (Citrus lemon) and sour orange trees (C. aurantium). The typical symptoms of vein clearing are believed to be associated with CYVCV infection in citrus, so virus-specific diagnostic systems are currently used to confirm infection. In the present study, virome analysis based on high-throughput sequencing (HTS) on a lemon plant showing YVCD revealed mixed infection of CYVCV, iris domestica betaflexyviridae 1 (IDBV), and hop stunt viroid (HSVd). This multiple infection was confirmed in other two lemon plants with similar symptoms using virus/viroid specific primers. This is the first report of IDBV in lemon. Through molecular characterization and the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships, a possible origin of the viruses/viroid identified in lemon has been hypothesized. Such mixed infections raise new questions about their role in the expression of YVCD symptoms observed on lemon. Full article
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