As the name suggests Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV) is a Virus. Symptoms of the disease include discoloration and spotty marks appearing on leaves in a 'mosaic' like pattern. .TMV prevents plants from growing because it destroys cells which can photosynthesise. It mostly infects Tobacco plants. However it can infect members of the important Solanaceae plant family. The Solanaceae family is also known as the Nightshade family because the plants in it flower at night or prefer to grow in the dark. The nightshade family is one of the most important plant families because it includes plants and staple crops/produce including but not limited to: Potatoes, Aubergine, Tomatoes, peppers, cherries among others.TMV was the first Virus to ever be discovered as it was discovered in the ate 19th Century
Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV) has no known chemical cure and because of the devastation it can cause the virus has to legally be quarantined or burned upon discovery to prevent it from spreading. The entire crop with roots must be burnt. However, there are preventative measures that could be taken to prevent the disease from spreading. This includes spraying plants with 20% non-fat milk because it can deactivate the virus however it can't deactivate it if its inside the plant. It's worth noting milk has only been shown to work in specific circumstances. Preventing contamination and the leaves touching is a way to prevent the Disease from spreading. Another method of prevention is realising that humans can be vectors for the disease and transfer from plant to plant without being infected themselves. Infact they don't have to even get it form another plant if a human has touched a Tobacco Product they may be carrying the disease as the disease can survive the rigorous processing.Infact it can remain dormant ina plant which is kept desert conditions over the course of years.