Serological comparison of tospovirus isolates from Taiwan and India with impatiens necrotic spot virus and different tomato spotted wilt virus isolates.

Tospovirus isolates from tomato and watermelon in Taiwan and from peanut in India reacted neither with antibodies to tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), nor with antibodies to impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), in ELISA and in electroblot immunoassays. Additionally, all three tospovirus isolates had an N protein with a molecular weight of 32 kDa as compared to 29 kDa for the N protein to TSWV and INSV. The observed physicochemical and serological differences suggest the generation of a new, third species in the genus tospovirus for which we propose the name groundnut bud necrosis virus.