RAPID SINGLE-TUBE IMMUNOCAPTURE RT-PCR FOR THE DETECTION OF 2 YAM POTYVIRUSES

An immunocapture reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (IC-R T-PCR) based assay has been developed for the detection of yam-infecti ng potyviruses. Based upon the same format two distinct simple tests h ave been developed, which allow the reliable diagnosis of yam mosaic v irus and the tentatively named yam mild mosaic virus. By using immunoc apture and a single-buffer RT-PCR reaction, the test can be performed in a single tube. The tests described have been shown to exhibit a tho usand-fold increase in detection sensitivity compared to existing ELIS A assays. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.