Abstract/Summary

Cacao mild mosaic virus (CaMMV), a member of the Badnavirus genus (family: Caulimoviridae) causes an emerging disease on Theobroma cacao. It is associated with branch dieback and has been reported to reduce yield. As there is no treatment for infected plants, preventing transmission is the most effective strategy. However, to understand what inoculum reservoirs exist in the environment it is necessary to determine the host range of the virus. Previously, this virus was only been reported on cacao. To determine whether other species could serve as hosts, plants in the Malvaceae and other families growing near CaMMV-infected cacao were sampled and tested for the presence of the virus. Plants belonging to seven species of Malvaceae, one species of Fabaceae, and one species of Meliaceae tested positive including widely grown ornamental plants and fruit trees such as Hibiscus (Hibiscus sp.), Maga (Thespesia grandiflora), and Durian (Durio sp.). These additional hosts may contribute to disease spread by serving as inoculum reservoirs in areas where the virus is present. The CaMMV strains found on non-cacao hosts shared high identity with cacao infecting strains, suggesting recent movement between cacao and other species.