Arthropod-borne viruses are a major and growing threat to crop-based agriculture and native plant communities. Almost half of the emerging infectious agents threatening plants are viruses.

In a new article published in the August edition of Microbiology Today (from The Microbiology Society), CONNECTED Management Board member Dr John Carr and co-authors explore the topic and explore the following questions:

· Which types of viruses attack plants and how do they interact with vectors?
· Which regions and crops are at risk from plant arboviruses?
· Can we control plant arboviruses?

The article was written by Dr John Carr, University of Cambridge, and co-authors:

• Ken Okwae Fening, Senior Research Fellow (Agricultural Entomologist) from the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre (SIREC), and the African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Science (ARPPIS), University of Ghana
• Paul Kuria, research scientist from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation
• Alex Murphy, Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and carries out research on plant–arbovirus–insect interactions and antiviral resistance mechanisms
• Josiah Musembi Mutuku, scientist at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub in Nairobi, Kenya, and a Visiting Scientist at the Plant Sciences Department, Cambridge
• Mildred Ochwo-Ssemakula, Senior Lecturer in Plant Pathology at Makerere University, Uganda.
• Jane Wamaitha Mwathi, scientist at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation

You can read the article in full using this link