Development of immunochromatographic test systems for express detection of plant viruses

Express immunochromatographic test-strip assays were developed for detection of five plant viruses varying in shape and size of virions: spherical carnation mottle virus, bean mild mosaic virus, rodshaped tobacco mosaic virus, and filamentous potato viruses X and Y. Multimembrane composites (test strips) with immobilized polyclonal antibodies against viruses and colloidal gold-conjugated antibodies were used for the analysis. The immunochromatographic test strips were shown to enable the detection of viruses both in purified preparations and in leaf extracts of infected plants with a sensitivity from 0.08 to 0.5 μg/ml for 10 min. The test strips may be used for express diagnostics of plant virus diseases in field conditions.