Diversity of african cassava mosaic virus in Congo Democratic Republic and in Burundi by comparison of genes AC2 and AC4

MONDE G.1,2 et BRAGARD C. 2
1 Unité de productions et défense des végétaux, Institut Facultaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Yangambi B-1232 Kisangani, RDC mondekaz@yahoo.fr
2 Unité de phytopathologie, Faculté d’ingénierie biologique, agronomique et environnementale, Université Catholique de Louvain, place Croix du sud 2bte 3 B-1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgique

Abstract

A molecular technique has been designed in basis of genes AC2 and AC4’s nucleotides sequences in the diversity study of viruses implied in african cassava mosaic disease. The PCR amplification revealed the presence of two species of Begomovirus in mixed infectionon the cassava. The comparison of the nucleotides sequence of gene AC4 and their corresponding amino acids showed a large homology more than 90% between these sequences with the reference ACMV. However, the comparison of AC2’s sequences showed that Burundi’s strains had high sequences homology more than 90% with EACMV’s strains. The sequences homology of Congo Democratic Republic strains was relatively less (68 to 78%) with the reference strains. The differences of homology between the investigated strains and some reference strains may be attributed to the methodology approach targeted on two key genes which represent only a small part of viral genome also probably it may be attributed to a genetic recombination phenomenon. The results obtained present a variable phylogeny rapprochement between strains indicating a diversity of viruses strains involved in the african cassava mosaic disease in our study area

Oral communication, First International Conference on Cassava Mosaic Disease, 2007 August 13 -15th Bukavu, DRCongo