Non-pathogenic reoviruses of leafhoppers and planthoppers

Reoviruses of hoppers are reviewed with emphasis on their transmission, classification, and evolution. Plant reoviruses multiply in both plants and hopper vectors, whereas three non-pathogenic reoviruses are known; leafhopper A virus, Peregrinus maidis reovirus, and Nilaparvata lugens reovirus (NLRV), that do not appear to cause disease in their insect hosts, and do not multiply in plants but share many properties with plant reoviruses. Genome analysis of NLRV would place it in the genus Fijivirus in the family Reoviridae, and this assignment would be consistent with the biological and physicochemical properties of Fijiviruses, except for host range. The hypothesis that plant reoviruses originate as viruses exclusively of insects is studied.