First molecular detection of co-infection of honey bee viruses in asymptomatic Bombus atratus in South America

Abstract

Pollination is critical for food production and has the particularity of linking natural ecosystems with agricultural production systems. Recently, losses of bumblebee species have been reported worldwide. In this study, samples from a commercial exploitation of bumblebees of Argentina with a recent history of deaths were studied using a multiplex PCR for the detection of the honey bee viruses most frequently detected in South America. All samples analysed were positive for co-infections with Deformed wing virus, Black queen cell virus and Sacbrood virus. This is the first report of infection of Bombus atratus with honey bee viruses. A better understanding of viral infections in bumblebees and of the epidemiology of viruses could be of great importance as bumblebees can serve as possible viral reservoirs, resulting in pathogen spillover towards honey bees and native bumblebees.

Honeybee health in South America

“…BQCV, DWV, and SBV have been detected in the bumblebee Bombus atratus in Argentina (Reynaldi et al 2013), while these (1995) 842 viruses, along with ABPV and Like Sinai Virus (LSV), were detected in B. atratus in Colombia (Gamboa et al 2015). DWV has also been detected in the carpenter bee Xylocopa augusti (Lucia et al 2014).…”

Evidence of Varroa-mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii

“…So far, DWV has been detected in 23 insect genera across Europe, North and South America (Guzman-Novoa et al, 2015;Levitt et al, 2013;Reynaldi et al, 2013;Singh et al, 2010), including social and non-social bees, wasps, ants, and a myriad of other insect groups. Not much is known about the impact of the virus in these host species (Tehel et al, 2016).…”

Scientific note on the first molecular detection of the acute bee paralysis virus in Brazilian stingless bees

“…In 2014, Furst et al (2014) provide evidence for an emerging pathogen problem in wild pollinators in the UK. Reynaldi et al (2013) showed for the first time viral co-infection in Bombus atratus from South America, by the black queen cell virus, sacbrood virus, and DWV.…”