India, April 30 -- A rapidly spreading virus threatens the health of the cacao tree and the dried seeds from which chocolate is made, jeopardizing the global supply of the worlds most popular treat.

About 50% of the worlds chocolate originates from cacao trees in the West Africa countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana.

The damaging virus is attacking cacao trees in Ghana, resulting in harvest losses of between 15 and 50%.

Spread by small insects called mealybugs that eat the leaves, buds and flowers of trees, the cacao swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD) is among the most damaging threats to the root ingredient of chocolate.

This virus is a real threat to the global supply of chocolate, said Benito Chen-Charpentier, professor of mathematic...