I think I have a virus.

[lily99]

I think my Cattleya mossiae has a virus. The flowers did not have those color breaks last year. Should I test the plant or just toss it and buy a new one?

[Gin]

I would isolate it and test it if it was mine .. Gin

[Royal]

I'm with Gin. It could be any number of things that caused the discoloration. Isolate and test it.

[kavanaru]

I am not an expert withviruses and Cattleyas, however.. I had a discussion a few months ago with someone at my OS, who grows mainly Cattleyas.

He said, that heat stress or too drastic temp changes day/night during the development of the flowers could cause colour break similar to that of viruses. Furthermore, he also mentionned that very often this is the cause and people discard the plants thinking of virus infection.
He also suggested that in these cases the best is to keep the plant for one or two more years and see what happens. If there is no chlorosis, it is most probably NOT a virus.
Keeping standard "hygiene" rules with your plants, would be enough to avoid virus infection to to other plants in the collection.

[chips]

I had something very similiar on my miltonia once. I brought it back to the grower. He told me it could be a break in the genetics or Botrytis fungus.


Here is an example from a website:
This problem is more common during the cooler months of the year, and is much more obvious on lighter colored or white flowers. The Botrytis fungus prospers at cooler temperatures coupled with high humidity. Keep your growing area clean, and destroy any affected flowers to address this problem. Also raising the temperature a bit will help prevent the problem from recurring.

[jkofferdahl]

I would tend to side with Ramon on this, in that I also doubt it's a virus. More likely, it is an effect of the growing conditions. Any number of things could cause the discoloration, and if you see no other signs indicating virus in the plant it seems unlikely to be one.

That said, I would err on the side of caution. Isolate the plant and do a testing so that you can be certain.