Our work on the transmission biology of novel resistance-breaking (RB) strains of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was recently published in Frontiers in Microbiology journal. While TSWV RB strains have been reported worldwide (in Texas by our lab earlier this year), this is the first comprehensive study on thrips transmission of these strains. The study demonstrates how vector-imposed selection pressure, besides the one imposed by resistant cultivars, may contribute to the worldwide emergence of RB strains.
