Maize lethal necrosis (MLN): Efforts toward containing the spread and impact of a devastating transboundary disease in sub-Saharan Africa

Boddupalli, Prasanna; Suresh, L. M.; Mwatuni, Francis; Beyene, Yoseph; Makumbi, Dan; Gowda, Manje; Olsen, Mike; Hodson, David; Worku, Mosisa; Mezzalama, Mónica; Molnar, Terence; Dhugga, Kanwarpal S.; Wangai, Anne; Gichuru, Lilian; Angwenyi, Samuel; Alemayehu, Yoseph; Hansen, J. G.; Lassen, P.

doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2020.197943

Cited by 70 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This includes breeding and deployment of resistance varieties and observing several cultural and agronomic practices. Seed transmission has been attributed to the rapid spread of the disease in the Eastern Africa region (Mahuku et al, 2015b;Boddupalli et al, 2020). Therefore, testing for the disease during active vegetative growth and in seed is vital for both seed certification agencies and seed producers to limit seed contamination and designing feasible management practices (Uyemoto, 1983).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Strict regulation coupled with internal controls for selfregulation by seed companies utilizing clean seed maize in conjunction with growing resistant varieties and monitoring new virus strain emergence are necessary measures to prevent the spread of MCMV throughout the maize industry and in the region. MLN free seed Protocols (https://mln.cimmyt.org/) developed for clean seed production by CIMMYT and partners in eastern Africa (Boddupalli et al, 2020) will also go a long way in ensuring low or nil incidences of MLN viruses in both farmers' fields and commercial seed fields. This will further contribute immensely in the efforts towards limiting the spread of this deadly disease to the southern African region where maize is a vibrant industry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A two-end point analysis reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV)

Mwatuni¹,

Radinbaugh²,

Miller³

et al. 2020

J. Gen. Mol. Virol.

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Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease is a major constraint on maize production in Eastern Africa since its first report in 2012 in Kenya. The main causative agent is maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) which co-infects maize with other viruses from the family Potyviridae. In Africa, Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) is the most common potyvirus that co-infects maize synergistically with MCMV. MCMV can be transmitted by insect vectors, mechanically and via contaminated seeds. Monitoring of MCMV is important in farmers' fields, seed fields, seed-lots and in grain. Robust diagnostic tools are essential in epidemiological studies, germplasm screening and exchange of disease-free materials across the regions and globally. Therefore, a sensitive, reliable and affordable diagnostic tool for MCMV is necessary in the laboratory and also in the field. A reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay with two-end point analysis was developed to detect MCMV in active vegetative stages and in seed. Six sets of specific primers were designed and evaluated. Amplification was detected in 60 min using the SYBR green colour change and in 10 to 20 min for real-time amplification in the Genie II platform. The assay discriminated the common viruses infecting maize in Eastern Africa. The assay showed excellent specificity to MCMV. The simplicity, rapidity, and inexpensiveness of this technique make it a suitable choice for large-scale sample processing, especially by laboratories with limited resources and for field analysis performed by regulatory agencies in the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A two-end point analysis reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV)

Mwatuni¹,

Radinbaugh²,

Miller³

et al. 2020

J. Gen. Mol. Virol.

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“…In the MLN management strategy, portable diagnostic strips tests for MCMV were useful in collecting data on the spread of the virus across different countries. In addition, significant resources were used to identify maize cultivars that were resistant or tolerant to the viral components of MLN [59]. MCMV diagnostic strip tests were extensively used in commercial seed production fields with closest attention to virus-tolerant maize cultivars that may be asymptomatic while harbouring MLN components [59].…”

Section: Case Study 1 Maize Lethal Necrosis Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, significant resources were used to identify maize cultivars that were resistant or tolerant to the viral components of MLN [59]. MCMV diagnostic strip tests were extensively used in commercial seed production fields with closest attention to virus-tolerant maize cultivars that may be asymptomatic while harbouring MLN components [59]. Rapid testing enabled seed companies to reduce the likelihood of introducing new sources of infection into the field via seed.…”

Section: Case Study 1 Maize Lethal Necrosis Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

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Post-COVID-19 Action: Guarding Africa’s Crops against Viral Epidemics Requires Research Capacity Building That Unifies a Trio of Transdisciplinary Interventions

Wamonje

2020

Viruses

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The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that understanding the genomics of a virus, diagnostics and breaking virus transmission is essential in managing viral pandemics. The same lessons can apply for plant viruses. There are plant viruses that have severely disrupted crop production in multiple countries, as recently seen with maize lethal necrosis disease in eastern and southern Africa. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is needed to detect new viral threats. Equally important is building local capacity to develop the tools required for rapid diagnosis of plant viruses. Most plant viruses are insect-vectored, hence, biological insights on virus transmission are vital in modelling disease spread. Research in Africa in these three areas is in its infancy and disjointed. Despite intense interest, uptake of HTS by African researchers is hampered by infrastructural gaps. The use of whole-genome information to develop field-deployable diagnostics on the continent is virtually inexistent. There is fledgling research into plant-virus-vector interactions to inform modelling of viral transmission. The gains so far have been modest but encouraging, and therefore must be consolidated. For this, I propose the creation of a new Research Centre for Africa. This bold investment is needed to secure the future of Africa’s crops from insect-vectored viral diseases.

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Development of nanobodies against the coat protein of maize chlorotic mottle virus

Njeru,

Zwaenepoel,

Haesaert

et al. 2024

FEBS Open Bio

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Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) is a maize disease caused by the maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV), a potyvirus which causes yield losses of 30–100%. The present study aimed to isolate nanobodies against the MCMV coat protein (CP) for the diagnosis of MLN. MCMV CP expressed in Escherichia coli was used for llama immunization. VHH (i.e. variable heavy domain of heavy chain) gene fragments were prepared from blood drawn from the immunized llama and used to generate a library in E. coli TG1 cells. MCMV specific nanobodies were selected by three rounds of phage display and panning against MCMV CP. The selected nanobodies were finally expressed in E. coli WK6 cells and purified. Eleven MCMV‐specific nanobodies were identified and shown to detect MCMV in infected maize plants. Thus, our results show that nanobodies isolated from llama immunized with MCMV CP can distinguish infected and healthy maize plants, potentially enabling development of affordable MCMV detection protocols.

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Maize lethal necrosis (MLN): Efforts toward containing the spread and impact of a devastating transboundary disease in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 70 publications

References 42 publications

A two-end point analysis reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV)

A two-end point analysis reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV)

Post-COVID-19 Action: Guarding Africa’s Crops against Viral Epidemics Requires Research Capacity Building That Unifies a Trio of Transdisciplinary Interventions

Development of nanobodies against the coat protein of maize chlorotic mottle virus

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