Agdia ImmunoStrip offers better virus detection in cucurbit species

Agdia, Inc., a leading provider of agricultural diagnostic tests and services, has launched a new Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) ImmunoStrip that offers vastly improved detection capabilities.

CGMMV is a Tobamovirus that is transmitted mechanically and through infected seed in cucurbit species. It is a major concern to commercial growers as well as seed producers because of its ability to cause severe reduction in crop quality, yield and profitability.  The virus was first reported on melon in the United States in 20131 and is considered a quarantined pathogen by USDA APHIS.

Agdia has offered a CGMMV ImmunoStrip for a number of years but recently has made significant improvements to its detection abilities.  The new test is more sensitive than ELISA, the standard method used in most laboratories, and is nearly 30 times more sensitive than the prior version of the ImmunoStrip.  Agdia has validated the test for detection in foliar tissue but is interested in expanding the assay’s application to seed detection. 

To perform the test a user would tear off a piece of suspicious plant material and insert it into an extraction bag included with a test kit.  Once the plant tissue has been extracted by rubbing it with a pen or marker, the ImmunoStrip is inserted directly into the bag which initiates the test.  As the test runs one or two lines will appear indicating a negative or positive result, respectively.  Agdia recommends allowing the test to run 30 minutes but positive results may be visible in 5 minutes or less.

“CGMMV has become a bigger phytosanitary concern in recent years and the industry has called for improved, more sensitive, diagnostic methods.  We want to thank our industry partners who assisted us with the development as well as our development team who worked tirelessly to get this assay to the point that it is.  It required us to essentially start from scratch again, including development of a new panel of antibodies.  We are extremely pleased with this new assay and are confident that commercial growers and seed producers will rely on this test for routine testing.” says Agdia’s President, Baziel Vrient.

The CGMMV ImmunoStrip is sold as kits of 5 and 25 tests.  ImmunoStrip kits include everything necessary to perform a test.  Agdia provides a 1 year warranty on purchased kits.