Purification and partial characterization of a virus from pineapple

Double-stranted RNA and long, flexuous, rod-shaped virus particles (1,200×12 nm) were recovered from mealybug wilt-affected pineapple (Ananas comosus) plants from plantations in Hawaii. A purification protocol was developed, and the virus partially characterized. Based upon its morphology the molecular weight of the coat protein, and analysis of double-stranded RNA, we tentatively assign this virus to the type II closterovirus group