Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) is an invasive viral disease spreading in Africa. It istransmitted by banana aphids and infected planting material, causing production losses. Clean seedsand timely eradication of diseased plants are effective tools in BBTD management. These depend ontimely disease detection. We assessed the relationship between symptom expression and infectivityof the virus in four cultivars of banana. Plantlets from four cultivars, ‘FHIA 25’; ‘Aloga’; ‘Ebenga’and ‘Sotoumon’, were exposed to viruliferous aphids and monitored for symptom expression. Theywere also tested as sources for virus transmission fortnightly by allowing non-viruliferous aphidsacquisition access prior to transfer to healthy test plants. The time required to show symptoms andthe symptom expression were compared, and infection tested by PCR. Disease expression varied fromfour weeks in ‘FHIA 25’ to fifteen in ‘Sotoumon’. Only the symptomatic leaves tested positive andcould act as infection sources. Overall, ‘FHIA 25’ was the most susceptible cultivar, while ‘Sotoumon’was the least susceptible and most rapidly expressive of BBTD, yet there was no difference in the leafemergence rate between the cultivars. These results present important aspects of BBTD control    andthe   safety of   planting    materials    that   should    be    tested   in    the   field.