> Can you kill a virus contained in tobacco by boiling the tobacco?
I'm not absoutely sure, but I think boiling would probably do-in the
virus. TMV is a pretty sturdy beastie but I think boiling might be a bit
hot even for it. I would expect the heat would damage its genetic
material.
> Any ideas as to what would happen if antibiotics were sprayed on
>the leaves of an infected plant?
No effect - antibiotics have no effects on viruses what-so-ever. That's
why it's a waste of money (not to mention a major concern in the
development of antibiotic resistant microbes) when people rush off to their
doctor to get antibiotics for a simple cold or the flu. These drugs are
designed to work on bacteria only. They kill by disrupting metabolic
processes that viruses don't even have. There might be some of the newer
antiviral agents that could possibly have an effect, but I don't know of
any being developed for use on plants.
> How does one tell what kind of virus one has in the Nepenthes
>infected.
That's a tough one. Sometimes disease symptoms are sufficient for virus
id. In general, however, more elaborate lab tests are required such as
tissue sample examination for cellular inclusions or specific serological
methodologies.
Cheers,
Liane
Liane Cochran-Stafira
Dept. of Ecology and Evolution
The University of Chicago
1101 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637-5415
phone: 312-702-1930
e-mail: lcochran@midway.uchicago.edu