The genus Crinivirus includes the whitefly-transmitted members of the family Closteroviridae.
Criniviruses emerged as major agricultural threats at the end of the twentieth century with the establishment and naturalization of their whitefly vectors, members of the genera Trialeurodes and Bemisia, in temperate climates around the globe.
These viruses are responsible for diseases that lead to losses measured in the billions of dollars annually, many through single infections; whereas other criniviruses remain asymptomatic alone but interact with other viruses during mixed infections that cause disease.
This article discusses the emerging significance of criniviruses to global production agriculture, and provides a detailed review on each member of the genus Crinivirus, addressing factors influencing virus epidemiology, disease etiology, transmission by whiteflies, and the role of mixed virus infections in disease severity.
http://www.frontiersin.org/Virology/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00119/abstract