Orchid fleck virus, despite its presence worldwide, only affects a small spectrum of human life.

Many orchid enthusiasts are participating in "citizen science" by posting their OFV-related findings on international horticulture blogs and forums.

[5] Even after three weeks of incubation of an OFV-positive mite on an OFV-resistant plant, B. californicus proved to still be infectious, showing that OFV is persistent.

[5] Studies have not shown whether or not OFV actually replicates within B. californicus [8] but electron microscopy has revealed an intricate viral life cycle within the host cells.

These particles often cluster in between the inner and outer nuclear membranes, causing visible projections which often evaginate into cytoplasmic vesicles.

Electron microscopy has revealed clusters of viral particles positioned perpendicular to the inner nuclear membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, as well as the aforementioned cytoplasmic vesicles, forming distinctive “spoked wheel” structures.

[citation needed] The earliest recorded work concerning Orchid Fleck Virus was published in Japan in 1969.

OFV was reported as concentrations of short, rod-like particles in chlorotic lesions on the leaves of boat orchids of the genus Cymbidium.

[3] Orchids and other tropical flowers are extremely important to the agricultural economy of many Southeast Asian countries.