# Infection by colombian datura virus induces leaf deformation associated with Indigenous selection of angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia spp.)

## TL;DR

A virus called Colombian datura virus causes leaf deformations in Brugmansia plants, which Indigenous communities in Colombia have selected for medicinal and ritual uses.

## Contribution

The study confirms CDV's role in leaf deformations and demonstrates its ability to infect multiple Solanaceae species through mechanical inoculation.

## Key findings

- CDV was found in Brugmansia medicinal cultivars and wild solanaceous species through transcriptome analysis.
- Mechanical inoculation of CDV-infected Brugmansia caused leaf deformations in Physalis peruviana, Solanum lycopersicum, S. melongena, and S. quitoense.
- RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing confirmed CDV presence in inoculated plants.

## Abstract

Angel’s trumpets (Brugmansia spp.) are important medicinal and ornamental plants belonging to the Solanaceae family, domesticated in the Andean region of South America. Indigenous communities in the Colombian Andes have created unique medicinal cultivars exhibiting a variety of unusual shapes in leaves, and specific uses for ritual or medicinal procedures. These cultivars exhibit leaf symptoms typically associated with viral infections, including mosaic, vein chlorosis, and morphological deformities. Colombian datura virus (CDV) is one of the most studied viruses in Brugmansia, which is distributed globally and affects even other agriculturally significant hosts. The present study aimed to evaluate the viral infections in Colombian cultivars of the Brugmansia genus and the relationship between the presence of viruses and the symptom expression in their leaves. We searched for CDV in the transcriptomes from a set of Solanaceae species and found it mainly in Brugmansia medicinal cultivars and wild solanaceous species. Plant material from B. × candida with different symptoms was collected and inoculated into plants of representative genera in the Solanaceae family, to evaluate symptom expression. We confirmed the sap of CDV-infected Brugmansia ability to cause infections through mechanical inoculation and the CDV presence in the inoculated plants by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Symptoms expressed by these plants included severe leaf deformations in agriculturally important plants such as Physalis peruviana, Solanum lycopersicum, and for the first time, reported the symptoms of the infection in S. melongena and S. quitoense.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13337-025-00939-5.