Characterization of Mycoviruses in and in the Czech Republic.

Members of the genus are widespread forest pathogens against which effective protection has not yet been developed. Due to their longevity and the creation of large-scale cloning of individuals, the use of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against these pathogens could be an effective alternative. This work describes the detection and characterization of viruses in spp. collected in the Czech Republic through the application of stranded total RNA sequencing. A total of five single-stranded RNA viruses were detected in and , including viruses of the family and four viruses belonging to the recently described "ambivirus" group with a circular ambisense genome arrangement. Both hammerhead (HHRz) and hairpin (HpRz) ribozymes were detected in all the ambiviricot sequences. viruses were compared through phylogenetic analysis and confirmed their specific host by direct RT-PCR. One virus appears to infect both species, suggesting the occurrence of interspecies transmission in nature.