A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE RELATIVE ABILITIES OF ELISA, RIA AND ISEM TO DETECT BLUEBERRY SHOESTRING VIRUS IN ITS APHID VECTOR

Three assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), solid phase radioimmunosorbent assay (RIA), using ¹²⁵I-labeled anti-blueberry shoestring virus (BBSSV) IgG, and immunosorbent electron microscopy (ISEM) were compared for their relative ability to detect BBSSV in purified form and in the BBSSV aphid vector, Illinoia pepperi. Using purfied BBSSV, ELISA detected a minimum of 5.0 ng BBSSV, RIA 0.6 ng and ISEM < 0. 15 ng.
When known quantities of purified BBSSV were added to extracts of non-viruliferous I. pepperi ELISA detected the virus at a minimum concentration of 5.0 ng, RIA 0.6 ng, and ISEM 20 ng.
When aphids were fed for 24 hr on BBSSV-infected blueberry leaves, RIA detected 44/52 aphids as viruliferous, ELISA 10/52 and ISEM rarely detected any.
While ISEM is the most sensitive means for detecting purified BBSSV, RIA is the most sensitive for detecting BBSSV in aphids.

III International Symposium on Small Fruit Virus Diseases

J.M. Gillett, K.M. Morimoto, D.C. Ramsdell, K.K. Baker, W.G. Chaney, W.J. Esselman

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1982.129.6