Plant Virus Evolution


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive look at the field of plant virus evolution. It is the first book ever published on the topic. Individual chapters, written by experts in the field, cover plant virus ecology, emerging viruses, plant viruses that integrate into the host genome, population biology, evolutionary mechanisms and appropriate methods for analysis. It covers RNA viruses, DNA viruses, pararetroviruses and viroids, and presents a number of thought-provoking ideas.




Plant Viruses: From Ecology to Control


Book Description

Plant viruses cause many of the most important diseases threatening crops worldwide. Over the last quarter of a century, an increasing number of plant viruses have emerged in various parts of the world, especially in the tropics and subtropics. As is generally observed for plant viruses, most of the emerging viruses are transmitted horizontally by biological vectors, mainly insects. Reverse genetics using infectious clones--available for many plant viruses--has been used for identification of viral determinants involved in virus-host and virus-vector interactions. Although many studies have identified a number of factors involved in disease development and transmission, the precise mechanisms are unknown for most of the virus-plant-vector combinations. In most cases, the diverse outcomes resulting from virus-virus interactions are poorly understood. Although significant advances have been made towards understand the mechanisms involved in plant resistance to viruses, we are far from being able to apply this knowledge to protect cultivated plants from the all viral threats.The aim of this Special Issue was to provide a platform for researchers interested in plant virology to share their recent results. To achieve this, we invited the plant virology community to submit research articles, short communications and reviews related to the various aspects of plant virology: ecology, virus-plant host interactions, virus-vector interactions, virus-virus interactions, and control strategies. This issue contains some of the best current research in plant virology.




Origin and Evolution of Viruses


Book Description

New viral diseases are emerging continuously. Viruses adapt to new environments at astounding rates. Genetic variability of viruses jeopardizes vaccine efficacy. For many viruses mutants resistant to antiviral agents or host immune responses arise readily, for example, with HIV and influenza. These variations are all of utmost importance for human and animal health as they have prevented us from controlling these epidemic pathogens. This book focuses on the mechanisms that viruses use to evolve, survive and cause disease in their hosts. Covering human, animal, plant and bacterial viruses, it provides both the basic foundations for the evolutionary dynamics of viruses and specific examples of emerging diseases. - NEW - methods to establish relationships among viruses and the mechanisms that affect virus evolution - UNIQUE - combines theoretical concepts in evolution with detailed analyses of the evolution of important virus groups - SPECIFIC - Bacterial, plant, animal and human viruses are compared regarding their interation with their hosts




Plant Virus Epidemiology


Book Description

Published since 1953, Advances in Virus Research covers a diverse range of in-depth reviews providing a valuable overview of the current field of virology. In 2004, the Institute for Scientific Information released figures showing that the series has an Impact Factor of 2.576, with a half-life of 7.1 years, placing it 11th in the highly competitive category of Virology.* Edited by an experienced plant pathologist who has over 50 years experience in plant virus epidemiology* Covers topics such as Evolutionary epidemiology of plant virus disease, The control of tropical plant virus diseases, and Control of plant virus diseases* A valuable resource for students and researchers alike




The Plant Viruses


Book Description

This volume of the series The Plant Viruses is devoted to viruses with rod-shaped particles belonging to the following four groups: the toba moviruses (named after tobacco mosaic virus), the tobraviruses (after to bacco rattle), the hordeiviruses (after the latin hordeum in honor of the type member barley stripe mosaic virus), and the not yet officially rec ognized furoviruses (fungus-transmitted rod-shaped viruses, Shirako and Brakke, 1984). At present these clusters of plant viruses are called groups instead of genera or families as is customary in other areas of virology. This pe culiarity of plant viral taxonomy (Matthews, 1982) is due to the fact that the current Plant Virus Subcommittee of the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses is deeply split on what to call the categories or ranks used in virus classification. Some plant virologists believe that the species concept cannot be applied to viruses because this concept, according to them, necessarily involves sexual reproduction and genetic isolation (Milne, 1984; Murant, 1985). This belief no doubt stems from the fact that these authors restrict the use of the term species to biological species. According to them, a collection of similar viral isolates and strains does constitute an individ ual virus, i. e. , it is a taxonomy entity separate from other individual viruses.




Emerging Viral Diseases


Book Description

In the past half century, deadly disease outbreaks caused by novel viruses of animal origin - Nipah virus in Malaysia, Hendra virus in Australia, Hantavirus in the United States, Ebola virus in Africa, along with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), several influenza subtypes, and the SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) coronaviruses - have underscored the urgency of understanding factors influencing viral disease emergence and spread. Emerging Viral Diseases is the summary of a public workshop hosted in March 2014 to examine factors driving the appearance, establishment, and spread of emerging, re-emerging and novel viral diseases; the global health and economic impacts of recently emerging and novel viral diseases in humans; and the scientific and policy approaches to improving domestic and international capacity to detect and respond to global outbreaks of infectious disease. This report is a record of the presentations and discussion of the event.




Plant Virus Emergence


Book Description

This compilation of articles elaborates on plant virus diseases that are among the most recent epidemiological concerns. The chapters explore several paradigms in plant virus epidemiology, outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics paralleling zoonotic viruses and that can be consequential to global food security. There is evidence that the local, regional, national, and global trade of agricultural products has aided the global dispersal of plant virus diseases. Expanding farmlands into pristine natural areas has created opportunities for viruses in native landscapes to invade crops, while the movement of food and food products disseminates viruses, creating epidemics or pandemics. Moreover, plant virus outbreaks not only directly impact food supply, but also incidentally affect human health.




Virus Diseases of Ornamental Plants


Book Description

This edited book elucidates the evolution of plant virus, genomic structure, diversity, plant-virus interaction, subcellular movement etc. The book reviews the biological machineries which allow the emergence of virus populations adapted by plant. The main objective of this book is the demonstration of a clear synergistic effect of plant viruses, an effect that was unexpectedly as important as applied alone. Ornamental plants are very popular and economically important worldwide. The international market of ornamentals is constantly expanding. Viruses and viroids can significantly reduce both decorative value and quality of propagated material of ornamentals. Due to the wide range of ornamental plant species and cultivars and their wide geographical distribution, the diversity of viruses that infect them is also high. The new emerging viruses are the causal agent for the economic loss of many important ornamental plants. Therefore, this book also adds value to current knowledge of virus stress response in ornamental plants and will provide the groundwork necessary for building future strategies for product enhancement. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, capacity builders and policymakers. It can serve as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of virology, agriculture and plant sciences.




The Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases


Book Description

Zoonotic diseases represent one of the leading causes of illness and death from infectious disease. Defined by the World Health Organization, zoonoses are "those diseases and infections that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man with or without an arthropod intermediate." Worldwide, zoonotic diseases have a negative impact on commerce, travel, and economies. In most developing countries, zoonotic diseases are among those diseases that contribute significantly to an already overly burdened public health system. In industrialized nations, zoonotic diseases are of particular concern for at-risk groups such as the elderly, children, childbearing women, and immunocompromised individuals. The Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases: Understanding the Impact on Animal and Human Health, covers a range of topics, which include: an evaluation of the relative importance of zoonotic diseases against the overall backdrop of emerging infections; research findings related to the current state of our understanding of zoonotic diseases; surveillance and response strategies to detect, prevent, and mitigate the impact of zoonotic diseases on human health; and information about ongoing programs and actions being taken to identify the most important needs in this vital area.




Viruses


Book Description

Viruses: Molecular Biology, Host Interactions, and Applications to Biotechnology provides an up-to-date introduction to human, animal and plant viruses within the context of recent advances in high-throughput sequencing that have demonstrated that viruses are vastly greater and more diverse than previously recognized. It covers discoveries such as the Mimivirus and its virophage which have stimulated new discussions on the definition of viruses, their place in the current view, and their inherent and derived 'interactomics' as defined by the molecules and the processes by which virus gene products interact with themselves and their host's cellular gene products. Further, the book includes perspectives on basic aspects of virology, including the structure of viruses, the organization of their genomes, and basic strategies in replication and expression, emphasizing the diversity and versatility of viruses, how they cause disease and how their hosts react to such disease, and exploring developments in the field of host-microbe interactions in recent years. The book is likely to appeal, and be useful, to a wide audience that includes students, academics and researchers studying the molecular biology and applications of viruses - Provides key insights into recent technological advances, including high-throughput sequencing - Presents viruses not only as formidable foes, but also as entities that can be beneficial to their hosts and humankind that are helping to shape the tree of life - Features exposition on the diversity and versatility of viruses, how they cause disease, and an exploration of virus-host interactions