A Spectroscopy Approach to the Study of Virus Infection in the Endophytic Fungus Epichloë festucae

Author: mycolabadmin
2011-06-08
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Summary

This research developed a faster method to detect viral infections in fungi using light-based technology (spectroscopy). Instead of using traditional time-consuming lab techniques, researchers showed they could identify viral infections by analyzing how light interacts with fungal samples. This has important implications for both research and practical applications. Impacts on everyday life: • Faster and cheaper detection of viral infections in agricultural settings • Improved monitoring of plant health in grass crops and pastures • More efficient quality control in commercial mushroom production • Potential applications for detecting viruses in other organisms

Background

The perennial grass Festuca rubra is commonly infected by the endophytic fungus Epichloë festucae in Western Spain grasslands. While plant viruses are well studied, fungal viruses have been largely ignored despite having similar host associations. Two viruses (EfV1 and EfV2) have been identified in E. festucae, but their effects on the fungus are unknown. Current viral detection methods are costly and time-consuming, creating a need for faster diagnostic approaches.

Objective

To develop and evaluate a rapid method using visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy to detect double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses in Epichloë festucae strains isolated from Festuca rubra plants. Additionally, to examine the incidence of E. festucae infections in natural F. rubra populations from Western Spain grasslands.

Results

Using the best regression model with standard normal variate combined with first derivative transformation, 75% of uninfected isolates and 86% of infected isolates were correctly classified in the validation set. The study found that 59% of F. rubra plants were infected by E. festucae, and 57% of E. festucae isolates contained viral infections.

Conclusion

Vis-NIR spectroscopy combined with PLS1-DA analysis shows promise as a faster alternative to conventional methods for detecting viral infections in fungal samples. The technique provided adequate accuracy while being more time and cost-effective than traditional analysis methods. The study also revealed high levels of both endophytic and viral infections in the studied populations.

Published in:Virology Journal,
Study Type:Laboratory Analysis,
Source: 10.1186/1743-422X-8-286