Rapid discrimination of Tomato chlorosis virus, Tomato infectious chlorosis virus and co-amplification of plant internal control using real-time RT-PCR.

Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and Tomato infectious chlorosis virus (TICV) (genus: Crinivirus, family: Closteroviridae) are two emergent whitefly-transmitted viruses that have been associated with yellowing symptoms of tomato crops during the last two decades. A real-time, one-step reverse transcription (RT) TaqMan(®) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed and optimized for the multiplex detection of TICV, ToCV and an internal control of mitochondrion cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOXI) gene from plants. The plant mtCOXI assay can be used as an internal control in at least 77 plant species from 28 different families.