Coding-Complete Genome Sequence of a Black Queen Cell Virus Isolate from Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) in Italy

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>In this study, we documented the complete coding genome sequence of a <jats:italic>Black queen cell virus</jats:italic> (BQCV) isolate from honey bees in Italy. This genome sequence illustrates a high similarity with other BQCV isolates reported worldwide and could provide insights into BQCV genome phylogeny and divergence.</jats:p>

Black queen cell virus detected in Canadian mosquitoes

“…2 . Genomic features of the BQCV sequence (e.g., ORFs, predicted proteins) were consistent with those previously reported ( Leat et al 2000 , Spurny et al 2017 , Kubaa et al 2020 ). The genomic sequence of the BQCV isolates reported in this study has been deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number OP168888 .…”

“…BQCV is classified as a Triatovirus, within the Dicistroviridae family and the order Picornavirales. The viral genome is composed of linear single-stranded, positive sense RNA of ~8,550 nucleotides in length ( Kubaa et al 2020 ). This includes two open reading frames (ORFs) encoding polyproteins containing non-structural (ORF1) and structural (ORF2) subunits ( Spurny et al 2017 ).…”

“…This includes two open reading frames (ORFs) encoding polyproteins containing non-structural (ORF1) and structural (ORF2) subunits ( Spurny et al 2017 ). The viral genome sequence is currently available from several geographical locations, including Europe ( Tapaszti et al 2009 , Spurny et al 2017 , Kubaa et al 2020 ), Asia ( Li et al 2023 ), Africa ( Leat et al 2000 ), and Australia (unpublished). However, to the best of our knowledge, no BQCV genome sequence has been reported from the Americas.…”

Treatment of waxborne honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) viruses using time, temperature, and electron-beam irradiation

“…Virus particles that are severely degraded through irradiation would not likely be detected by RT-qPCR, however, that does not mean that relatively intact viral particles would remain viable. A study on animal viruses showed that the larger the particle size and genome, the higher the inactivation rate due to irradiation ( Nims et al 2011 ); the viruses tested in our study range from ~8,500 to 10,000 nucleotides, which are rather small genome sizes ( Lanzi et al 2006 , Maori et al 2007 , Abou Kubaa et al 2020 ). Additional work needs to be done to connect the abundance of viruses that can be detected on beeswax to their potential biological impact on bees.…”

Honey microbiota, methods for determining the microbiological composition and the antimicrobial effect of honey – A review

“…BQCV was reported in Turkey, Austria, Croatia, France, and China (S. Yang et al, 2022 ). This type of virus is one of the most widespread bee pathogens responsible for the high mortality of queen pupae ( Abou Kubaa et al, 2020 ; Al Naggar & Paxton, 2020 ; Radzevičiūtė et al, 2017 ).…”