Fig 4. Predicted model for cotton leaf curl geminivirus evolution.

The spread of CLCuDV occured due to recombination. Recombinant viruses have the advantage of low mutational load (see text) compared to parental viruses. The presence of recombinants indicates mixed infections and no cross protection among geminiviruses. The pattern of recombination suggests that several combinations are possible. However, not all recombinants have the potential to cause epidemics. The epidemic of CLCuD occurred due to a perfect combination and positive selection of recombinants between CLCuMuV and CLCuKoV.