Plant virus diseases are widespread in Kuwait and cause significant economic losses in many crops. Four plant families, including Cucurbitaceae (cucumber, squash, melon, zucchini), Solanaceae (tomato, potato, pepper, eggplant), Liliaceae (onion) and Leguminosaea (bean) were surveyed for viruses by ELISA from December 2007 through May 2008. The survey was conducted on six farms located in the two main production areas, Wafra and Abdally agricultural districts. Each farm was visited four times during the production season. Eighteen plant viruses were detected, including Cucumber mosaic virus, Garlic common latent virus, Iris yellow spot virus, Onion yellow dwarf virus, Melon necrotic spot virus, Papaya ringspot virus, Pepino mosaic virus, Pepper mild mottle virus, Potato moptop virus, Potato virus M, Potato virus X, Potato virus Y, Squash mosaic virus, Tomato mosaic virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, Watermelon mosaic virus, and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus. Virus incidence was close to 100% on some crops, including cucurbit and onions and double or triple infections were common. Several important viruses were not found, including Potato virus A, Potato virus S, Potato leafroll virus, and Potato virus V.

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Developments in genetic engineering technology have led to an increase in number of food products that contain genetically engineered crops in the global market. However, due to lack of scientific studies, the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Kuwaiti food market is currently ambiguous. Foods both for human and animal consumption are being imported from countries that are known to produce GM food. Therefore, an attempt has been made to screen foods sold in the Kuwaiti market to detect GMOs in the food. For this purpose, samples collected from various markets in Kuwait have been screened by SYBR green-based real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Further confirmation and GMO quantification was performed by TaqMan-based RT-PCR. Results indicated that a significant number of food commodities sold in Kuwait were tested positive for the presence of GMO. Interestingly, certain processed foods were tested positive for more than one transgenic events showing complex nature of GMOs in food samples. Results of this study clearly indicate the need for well-defined legislations and regulations on the marketing of approved GM food and its labeling to protect consumer's rights.

While whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses are economically important constraints to tomato production in Kuwait, little is known about genomic features of these viruses from Kuwait. A begomovirus isolated from severely diseased tomatoes, collected over a two-year period in the main tomato-growing areas of Kuwait, was characterized at the molecular level. The complete genomic sequence of the begomovirus was determined, and phlylogeographic studies were conducted to better understand genetic diversity of the virus in the region. Based on genome properties and phylogenetic analysis, the begomovirus was found to be a strain of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). The virus genome was monopartite, as neither DNA B nor satellite DNA molecules were detected. Two isolates characterized in this study shared 97% and 95% nucleotide sequence identity with a previously characterized Kuwaiti isolate, TYLCV-KISR. Among TYLCV isolates with known genome sequences, the Kuwaiti isolates shared highest sequence identity (95%) with TYLCV-Almeria (Spain). Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis showed that the three Kuwaiti isolates formed a distinct clade that was separate from those of known TYLCV sequences. One Kuwaiti isolate (KW 1-3) could be a novel variant of TYLCV. Two recombination events were detected in the genome sequence of KW 1-3, which appeared to be a recombinant derived from TYLCV parents from Oman and Kuwait.

Objective Whitefly-transmitted tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) continues to be a major constraint to tomato production in Kuwait. However, very limited information is available about the population structure and genetic diversity of TYLCV infecting tomato in Kuwait. Results Whole genome sequences of 31 isolates of TYLCV, collected from commercial tomato crops grown in northern (Abdally) and southern (Al Wafra) parts of Kuwait, were deciphered. Eighteen isolates of TYLCV are identified as potential genetic recombinants. The isolates Abdally 6A and Abdally 3B reported in this study were identified to be potential recombinants. Compared to the 15 isolates from the Abdally area, and the three previously reported KISR isolates of Kuwait, six out of sixteen Al Wafra isolates showed an insertion of 19 extra nucleotides near the 5′-end. There are also four nucleotide variations before the 19-extra-nucleotides. The additional 19 nucleotides observed in nine isolates indicate that these isolates might have resulted from a single gene recombination/insertion event. Molecular phylogeny based on complete genome sequences of TYLCV isolates suggests transboundary movement of virus isolates due to geographic proximity. The information presented herein is quite useful for the comprehension of TYLCV biology, epidemiology and would aid in the management of disease in the long run.