New field test for Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV) available from Agdia

Positive AltMV / PapMV ImmunoStrip result

Agdia, Inc., a leading provider of agricultural diagnostic tests and services, has commercialized an ImmunoStrip® test for Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV) / Papaya mosaic virus (PapMV).

Agdia has been aggressively adding ImmunoStrips to their product line due to high consumer demand for in-field diagnosis of plant pathogens. The AltMV / PapMV ImmunoStrip marks the second ImmunoStrip released by Agdia in the last month and their thirty sixth plant pathogen ImmunoStrip in total.

Agdia’s AltMV / PapMV ImmunoStrip was primarily developed to identify AltMV in ornamental plants, however it can also detect PapMV which is serologically related to AltMV. AltMV infects a wide range of annual and perennial hosts, causing disease symptoms that may impact the marketability of the plant. Agdia validated the ImmunoStrip against more than 80 healthy ornamental hosts and no host reactions (false positives) were observed. It was also validated against a range of geographically diverse AltMV isolates and detected 100% of all isolates tested.

The AltMV / PapMV ImmunoStrip can be performed right in the field without the need for special equipment or prior diagnostic experience. The test works by placing the ImmunoStrip in a plant extract. Within minutes the test run is complete, indicating if the plant has detectable levels of the virus. One or two lines will appear indicating a negative or positive result, respectively. Agdia has a how-to-video (below) which provides a short, but descriptive overview of how to run an ImmunoStrip test.

The AltMV / PapMV ImmunoStrip is sold as kits of 5 or 25 tests. ImmunoStrip kits include everything necessary to perform a test. Agdia provides a 1 year warranty on purchased kits. For more information on this or other ImmunoStrips, visit the company’s website at www.agdia.com, e-mail info@agdia.com.