Detection of Plum poxpotyvirus in illegally imported plums intercepted at Sydney International Airport

Plum pox potyvirus (PPV) was detected in an illegal consignment of plum budwood and fruit intercepted by Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) inspectors at Sydney International Airport. PPV was detected in leaf, bark and peduncle tissue using enzyme linke d immunosorbent assay (ELISA), re verse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and electron microscopy. The strain of PPV detected was the D strain as indicated by ELISA and restriction enzyme analysis of the P1-P2 243 bp PCR product.