PROCEDURE FOR THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF VIRAL AND SUBVIRAL PATHOGENS

The present invention refers to a new process for the detection and identification of viral and subviral pathogens, which combines the immobilization of the pathogen by using antibodies attached to the surface of the wells of a microtitration plate, with the enzymatic amplification of fragments of the viral genome and the spectrophotometric quantification of the latter or their identification by electrophoretic techniques. A viral pathogen is considered to be any virus that replicates inside protoplasts, prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells, whether they are differentiated or not, and at the expense of an enzyme found in protoplasts or cells. While a subviral pathogen is defined as any viroid, virusoid, satellite virus or RNA viral satellite, which replicates inside vegetable cells, whether they are differentiated or not, or their protoplasts, and at the expense of an enzyme found in protoplasts or cells. Although the term "biological sample" is given to prokaryotic cells, protoplasts, differentiated or undifferentiated eukaryotic cells, mycelia, vegetable or animal tissues, vegetable or animal. organs, "in vitro" cultivation media of any of the preceding entities, vegetable or animal systems and vegetable or animal organisms, the same term is being used to describe any product of secretion, excretion or transformation of any of the preceding entities.