A new positive-strand RNA virus genome was discovered in Camellia japonica plants. The complete genome of the virus is 12,570 nt in size, excluding the poly(A) tail, and contains one large open reading frame (ORF1) and two small open reading frames (ORF2, ORF3). ORF1 and ORF2 are homologous to sequences of waikaviruses, while ORF3 has no relatives in the databases. ORF1 encodes a putative polyprotein precursor that is putatively processed into eight smaller proteins, as in typical waikaviruses. Comprehensive analysis, including BLAST searches, genome organization and pairwise sequence comparisons, and phylogeny reconstructions, invariably placed the virus with the waikaviruses. Furthermore, due to lower amino acid sequence identity to known waikaviruses than the threshold species demarcation cutoff, this virus may represent a new species in the genus Waikavirus, family Secoviridae, and we have tentatively named it “camellia virus A” (CamVA). Finally, a field survey was conducted to assess the occurrence of CamVA in camellias and its associated symptoms.

在山茶中发现新的正链RNA病毒基因组植物。该病毒的完整基因组大小为 12,570 nt，不包括 poly(A) 尾，包含一个大的开放阅读框（ORF1）和两个小的开放阅读框（ORF2、ORF3）。ORF1 和 ORF2 与威卡病毒的序列同源，而 ORF3 在数据库中没有亲属。ORF1 编码推定的多蛋白前体，该前体被推定加工为八种较小的蛋白质，就像典型的怀卡病毒一样。综合分析，包括 BLAST 搜索、基因组组织和成对序列比较以及系统发育重建，总是将病毒与怀卡病毒放在一起。此外，由于与已知怀卡病毒的氨基酸序列同一性低于阈值物种分界截止值，该病毒可能代表怀卡病毒属的一个新物种，家族Secoviridae，我们暂时将其命名为“山茶花病毒A”（CamVA）。最后，进行了实地调查以评估山茶花中 CamVA 的发生及其相关症状。