Occurrence of multiple honeybee viruses in the ectoparasitic mites Varroa spp. in Apis cerana colonies

Wang, Shuai; Chen, Gongwen; Lin, Zheguang; Wu, Yuqi; Hu, Fuliang; Zheng, Huoqing

doi:10.1016/j.jip.2019.107225

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This study provides a molecular basis on a Chinese isolate of BQCV and helps us understand the genomic characteristics of this virus, as well as viral pathogenic mechanism. Previous results also showed that multiple infections were common in A. mellifera and A. cerana in China [9, 47, 48]. More importantly, it provides a possible way to characterize the infection dynamics of BQCV to avoid several viruses are co-infected within one bee.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Recovery and genetic characterization of black queen cell virus

Yang

Deng

Zhang

et al. 2022

Journal of General Virology

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Black queen cell virus (BQCV) is a severe threat to the honeybee (Apis mellifera) worldwide. Although several BQCV strains have been reported in China, the molecular basis for BQCV pathogenicity has not been well understood. Thus, a reverse genetic system of BQCV is required for studying viral replication and its pathogenic mechanism. Here, the complete genome sequence of BQCV was obtained from honeybees using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), namely a BQCV China-GS1 strain (KY741959). Then, a phylogenetic tree was built to analyse the genetic relationships among BQCV strains from different regions. Our results showed that the BQCV China-GS1 contained two ORFs, consistent with the known reference strains, except for the BQCV China-JL1 strain (KP119603). Furthermore, the infectious clone of BQCV was constructed based on BQCV China-GS1 using a low copy vector pACYC177 and gene recombination. Due to the lack of culture cells for bee viruses, we infected the healthy bees with infectious clone of BQCV, and the rescued BQCV resulted in the recovery of recombinant virus, which induced higher mortality than those of the control group. Immune response after inoculated with BQCV further confirmed that the infectious clone of BQCV caused the cellular and humoral immune response of honeybee (A. mellifera). In conclusion, the full nucleotide sequence of BQCV China-GS1 strain was determined, and the infectious clone of BQCV was constructed in this study. These data will improve the understanding of pathogenesis and the host immune responses to viral infection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Recovery and genetic characterization of black queen cell virus

Yang

Deng

Zhang

et al. 2022

Journal of General Virology

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“…BQCV is highly prevalent globally 97 , causes fatal infections in queen larvae 99 , and yet generally remains asymptomatic in adult workers 98 , 99 , showing limited association with colony losses 100 , 101 . As with CBPV, BQCV has been detected in Varroa 95 , 102 , and there is evidence for increased transmission to other hosts when the mites are present 103 . Notably however, while some studies have found that BQCV titres are influenced by Varroa infestation 22 , 104 , others indicate that the virus is decoupled from Varroa levels in colonies 105 – 107 , and conclusive proof of Varroa transmission is yet to be ascertained 22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it is known to cause mortality in adult bees 84 , to correlate with colony losses 87 – 89 , and has a wide host range 86 , 90 , with an increasing global incidence 86 , 91 . Notably, CBPV can exist at covert levels in healthy colonies, may increase in prevalence in the presence of Varroa parasitism 92 – 94 , and has been detected in Varroa 90 , 95 . A direct transmission pathway remains elusive, however 84 , and observational studies suggest variable association 90 , 96 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conflicting findings from etiological studies of DWV 66 , 73 , 76 , 81 , 108 , CBPV 90 , 94 , 106 , 109 , and BQCV 17 , 95 , 105 , exacerbated by a historically inaccurate research paradigm for Varroa feeding, which appears to have underestimated direct damage to the fat body 12 , exemplify the need for ongoing characterisation of Varroa -virus mediated colony mortality. Until this process is better understood, it remains an obstacle to effective treatment, because there is no clear consensus as to the relative importance of covariate factors 1 , 12 , 66 , 110 , 111 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A derived honey bee stock confers resistance to Varroa destructor and associated viral transmission

O’Shea-Wheller

Rinkevich

Danka

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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The ectoparasite Varroa destructor is the greatest threat to managed honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies globally. Despite significant efforts, novel treatments to control the mite and its vectored pathogens have shown limited efficacy, as the host remains naïve. A prospective solution lies in the development of Varroa-resistant honey bee stocks, but a paucity of rigorous selection data restricts widespread adoption. Here, we characterise the parasite and viral dynamics of a Varroa-resistant honey bee stock, designated ‘Pol-line’, using a large-scale longitudinal study. Results demonstrate markedly reduced Varroa levels in this stock, diminished titres of three major viruses (DWV-A, DWV-B, and CBPV), and a two-fold increase in survival. Levels of a fourth virus that is not associated with Varroa—BQCV—do not differ between stocks, supporting a disruption of the transmission pathway. Further, we show that when decoupled from the influence of Varroa levels, viral titres do not constitute strong independent predictors of colony mortality risk. These findings highlight the need for a reassessment of Varroa etiology, and suggest that derived stocks represent a tractable solution to the Varroa pandemic.

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“…Although differences in viral prevalence rates between the present study and the previous study conducted in Japan might be due to variations in sampling period and area, sampling season may also partially contribute to the prevalence of the aforementioned four viruses. Moreover, previous studies have suggested that BQCV, IAPV, and DWV may be transmitted among colonies and within a colony [10] and besides honeybees, Varroa destructor mite [3,8,21] or Nosema apis [2] may be responsible for transmission. In the present study, the examination of 5 individual bees revealed the presence of IAPV and DWV in 3 or more bees in 2 of 7 colonies tested (28.6%) and 2 of 6 colonies tested (33.3%), respectively, and BQCV was detected in 3 or more bees in 7 of the 10 colonies tested (70.0%) (Table 1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%