A novel foveavirus identified in wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris)

We report the genome sequence of a putative new foveavirus infecting non-cultivated Vitis vinifera, tentatively named "grapevine foveavirus A" (GFVA). This virus was identified by high-throughput sequencing analysis of a European wild Vitis collected in Switzerland. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus clustered with known grapevine virus T (GVT) isolates but was clearly distinct from any of them. If considering the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV)-suggested foveavirus species demarcation criterion based on sequence similarity in the replicase gene/protein, this virus should be considered a member of a new species closely related to GVT. On the other hand, comparison of capsid gene/ protein sequences using the same criteria indicates that GFVA is at the border of species demarcation. Whether this virus represents a highly divergent GVT isolate or a member of a distinct but closely related species is discussed