The new assay exclusively targets HLVd and does not target Cannabis Cryptic or Lettuce Chlorosis Virus. It also includes a minor update to the forward primer, making it more tolerant to HLVd variations.
Due to the overwhelming demand for a stand-alone HLVd assay, we created the PathoSEEK® Hop Latent Viroid Detection Assay (SKU 420134). This single target assay still includes a cannabis DNA internal control; however, it does not include the other two virus targets, cannabis cryptic and lettuce chlorosis, that made up the PathoSEEK® Virus Multiplex Detection Assay A.
This new HLVd assay also includes a minor update to the forward primer that affords a degenerate base (W) at a location that could be a common SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) in HLVd. This new design makes the assay more sensitive to that SNP, and thus more tolerant to variation. However, it is important to note that our original assay design will still identify HLVd in samples containing this variation, albeit with less sensitivity. It is not known whether this SNP has been found in any cannabis samples, but since we discovered the potential gap, we updated the design. Future lots of our PathoSEEK® Virus Multiplex Detection Assay A will include this updated forward primer, so the assay design in both SKUs will be identical.
We will continue to offer PathoSEEK® Virus Multiplex Detection Assay A on our webstore.
Please reach out to support@medicinalgenomics.com with any further questions.