HIGH-FREQUENCY OCCURRENCE OF VIRUS-LIKE PARTICLES WITH DOUBLE-STRANDED-RNA GENOME IN FUSARIUM-POAE

Fifty-five geographically different strains of Fusarium poae were assa yed for the presence of extrachromosomal nucleic acid elements. All st rains were found to harbour double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) elements and e ncapsidated virus-like particles (VLP). There were great individual di fferences in dsRNA patterns of the various strains, but numbers and si zes characteristic for a given isolate remained unchanged after repeat ed subculturing of the fungi. Morphological alterations or signs of de generation were not observed in dsRNA-containing isolates. This is the first report on the ubiquitous occurrence of dsRNAs ina hyphomycete f ungus species.