Preparation of polyclonal antiserum to Tomato mosaic virus and its application as a viral diagnostic test

In recent years, the expansion of international seed exports of vegetable crops has led to the spread of both endemic and non-endemic strains of viruses globally. Among these, the Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) poses a significant threat to the global vegetable industry, particularly the tomato sector, resulting in substantial economic losses. Due to its high pathogenicity and rapid spread, ToMV has been detected in almost all countries, severely impacting the production of tomatoes and other vegetable crops. Creating a rapid and accurate diagnostic test for ToMV is crucial for preventing this infectious disease and developing control measures. A practical approach to mitigate ToMV’s impact involves early virus detection while the plant is asymptomatic. This study presents the results of research focused on the preparation of polyclonal antiserum, which is crucial for the immunodiagnostics of ToMV, ensuring high sensitivity and specificity. This modern approach offers high sensitivity, specificity, and rapid results, making it an effective testing system for farmers, researchers, and regulatory bodies concerned with virus detection. The ToMV antigen, purified through physicochemical methods, was administered along with an isotonic NaCl solution into the ear vein of an “Albinos” rabbit to produce the polyclonal antiserum. During immunization, the antigen quantity was gradually increased. The antiserum’s initial titer was 1:128, which increased to 1:512 after re-immunization. The developed polyclonal antiserum demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting ToMV. It was also successfully used to diagnose various tomato cultivars infected with ToMV.