Watermelon mosaic virus in the Czech Republic, its recent and historical origins

Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) is a potyvirus and a member of the bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) lineage. It is one of the most economically important viral pathogens of cucurbits worldwide and was first reported in the Czech Republic in 2011 from serological surveys (2005–2011). In this study, we confirmed this identification by determining the complete coding regions of five Czech WMV isolates using high-throughput sequencing and Sanger sequencing (MW188031; OP585149–OP585152), together with the coat protein (CP) genes of 26 additional isolates. Phylogenies were made from these and more than 128 genomes or 128 CP genes from GenBank. They showed that the Czech isolates were most closely related to other European isolates, but, surprisingly, 96.2% of the genomes were recombinant. The nonrecombinant sequences mostly came from basal isolates, all originating from China, and some from unusual hosts (Ailanthus altissima, Alcea rosea and Panax ginseng). The complete WMV genomes form three phylogenetic clades, two of them small and basal, and the third includes all other isolates. Comparative dating suggests that the basal Chinese isolates are descendants of a potyvirus population infecting various dicotyledonous plant species in China at least 2000 years ago. WMV became a crop pathogen around 1000 years ago, a few years after watermelon was taken to northern China and first grown as a crop during the Five Dynasties (907–960 ce).