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Poster

Session: Session 1 Presenting Authors at Posters (Odds)

P-239 - Differential fitness of two variants of the geminivirus Oxalis yellow vein virus

Monday, July 14, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Plant-virus Interactions (incl. Viromes, Evolution & Vectors)

Begomoviruses are important plant pathogens and pose threats to food production worldwide. Wild hosts are sources of viral biodiversity and contribute as a source of inoculum for plants of agricultural interest. Begomoviruses in non-cultivated hosts can coexist as complex populations composed of different variants. Since 2011 we have been exploring the temporal dynamics of the begomovirus community in Sida acuta. Oxalis yellow vein virus is the prevalent virus. The OxYVV population is divided into two strains, with strain S1 being prevalent and showing a pattern of subdivision into five variants. Heterogeneous distribution patterns have been observed between the variants, with one variant prevailing over the others most of the time, leading us to hypothesize that there are adaptive differences between them. To test this hypothesis, we constructed infectious clones of the two most abundant variants. Biological assays showed clear phenotypic differences between the S1a and S1b variants. Replication fitness was evaluated based on viral load. OxYVV-S1a presented a higher viral load up until 21 dpi in relation to OxYVV-S1b, but its viral load reduced over time and did not differ statistically from OxYVV-S1b at 28 dpi. The transmission rates of the two variants were similar. The differential accumulation of the OxYVV-S1a variant at the early stage of infection suggests an adaptive advantage in relation to OxYVV-S1b and could explain the long-term prevalence of this variant.