Prevalence and genetic diversity of endosymbiotic bacteria infecting cassava whiteflies in Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cassava provides over half of the dietary requirement for more than 200 million poor in Africa. In recent years, cassava has been affected by an epidemic of a virus disease called cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) that is spreading in much of eastern and central Africa, affecting food security and the economic development of the poor. The viruses that cause CBSD are transmitted by the insect vector whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), which have increased to very high numbers in some African countries. Strains of endosymbiotic bacteria infecting whiteflies have been reported to interact specifically with different whitefly populations with varied effects on its host biology and efficiency of virus transmission. The main aim of this study was therefore to investigate the prevalen

SUBMITTER: Ghosh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4434523 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature