Viroids are the smallest known infectious agents. Since viroids are noncoding RNA molecules, their life cycle depends on their genomic RNA structure and the interaction with certain host factors. Viroids in Asia are diverse, and not only the currently known species but also the new ones that have not been discovered in other parts of the world have been reported. Of the 44 viroids recently endorsed by the ICTV, 35 have been reported in Asia. Among these, Citrus viroid VI, Coconut cadang-cadang viroid, and Coconut tinangaja viroid have been reported only from Asian countries so far. The palm-infecting viroids caused devastating damage to the coconut palm industry in the Philippines and Guam and are a potential threat to the coconut and oil palm industries in the neigbouring countries, including Malaysia.

Hop stunt or apple scar skin diseases are among those first reported in Asia and have also caused serious economic impacts on the local crop production. Along with economic development, research on viroids in Asian countries has progressed rapidly, and information on viroids is steadily increasing.

Rujukan:

G. Vadamalai, Charith Raj Adkar-Purushothama, S.S. Thanarajoo, Y. Iftikhar, B. Shruthi, Sreenivasa Marikunte Yanjarappa, Teruo Sano. (2024). Chapter 5 : Viroids diseases and its distribution in Asia. In Fundamentals of Viroid Biology. Academic Press. Pg. 85-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-99688-4.00004-3.

Artikel penuh: https://doi.org/10.1016/

Tarikh Input: 29/02/2024 | Kemaskini: 04/03/2024 | ainzubaidah