Metatranscriptomic Sequencing of Sheath Blight-Associated Isolates of Revealed Multi-Infection by Diverse Groups of RNA Viruses.

Rice sheath blight, caused by the soil-borne fungus (teleomorph: Basidiomycota), is one of the most devastating phytopathogenic fungal diseases and causes yield loss. Here, we report on a very high prevalence (100%) of potential virus-associated double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) elements for a collection of 39 fungal strains of from the rice sheath blight samples from at least four major rice-growing areas in the Philippines and a reference isolate from the International Rice Research Institute, showing different colony phenotypes. Their dsRNA profiles suggested the presence of multiple viral infections among these Philippine populations.