A new double‐stranded RNA mycovirus from Botrytis cinerea

A simple double-stranded RNA mycovirus was detected in a wild-type Botrytis cinerea 55k strain. The virus was located in the fungus cytoplasm as free particles of approximately 28 nm in diameter. The mycovirus possesses a single double-stranded genome segment of 1.8 kilobase pairs (kbp) encapsidated within an isometric protein coat whose main structural component is a polypeptide of 68 kDa. Cells infected with this virus showed an important degree of cellular degeneration.