
%0 Journal Article
%A Dietzgen, RG 
%A Herrington, ME 
%T A sensitive semi-quantitative biotin-streptavidin ELISA for the detection of potyviruses infecting cucurbits
%J Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
%D 1991/05/01
%V 42
%N 3
%P 417-427
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/AR9910417
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/AR9910417 
%X The biotin-streptavidin (BA)-ELISA system was optimized for the detection of three potyviruses infecting cucurbits, the watermelon strain of papaya ringspot virus (PRSV-W), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) and watermelon mosaic virus 2. BA-ELISA was four to eight times more sensitive than double antibody sandwich ELISA and detected all three viruses in the nanogram range. BA-ELSA was virus-specific but did not differentiate between different pathotypes of ZYMV. The use of egg-white avidin-enzyme conjugate or the simultaneous incubation of biotinylated antibody and streptavidin-enzyme conjugate decreased the sensitivity of BA-ELISA. The concentrations of PRSV-W and ZYMV in field-infected cucurbit specimens or in resistant breeding lines were estimated from calibration curves derived from a dilution series of purified virus in extracts of uninfected plants on each test plate. Thus it was possible to determine semi-quantitatively the degree and uniformity of resistance in plants from these lines and to differentiate resistant from tolerant selections. 
