Prevalence of bee viruses in Apis cerana cerana populations from different locations in the Fujian Province of China

Abstract

Prevalence of honeybee viral diseases has recently been causing major problems in the beekeeping industry, causing economic losses worldwide. Honeybees are susceptible to a variety of diseases and various pathogens. Among these pathogens, prevalence viruses, along with other factors, are seriously threatening the health of bee species. In the present study, samples were collected from 80 Apis cerana cerana (A. c. cerana) colonies from three different locations, Cangshan, Fuan, and Yongtai, in the Fujian Province of China. All samples were screened using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) method for detection of seven honeybee viruses, namely, Chinese sacbrood virus (CSBV), deformed wing virus (DWV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), and Kashmir bee virus (KBV). Our results showed that CSBV was the most prevalent as it was detected in (90%), of the samples, DWV was detected in (81.25%), and IAPV was detected in (26.25%). In contrast, insignificant prevalence results were obtained from all apiaries for BQCV, CBPV, APBV, and KBV, which were not detected in any sample. Here, we are providing the first report on the molecular detection of honeybee viruses, especially the prevalence of IAPV, from different regions in the Fujian Province of China with a high prevalence of bee viruses, on A. c. cerana, and there is great concern for the presence of honeybee viruses in the population of the native honeybee (A. c. cerana) in China.

Visualizing Sacbrood Virus of Honey Bees via Transformation and Coupling with Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein

“…The lack of clones or pure virus isolates is considered to be the major factor limiting research on honey bee virus research [9,11], but we noted that the lack of suitable hosts was also a limiting factor. Although a previous survey suggested that up to 90% of A. cerana colonies carry SBV [19], we were fortunate to have a few A. cerana colonies with no detectable common viruses when we initiated this study. These SBV-free A. cerana colonies, however, were no longer available after 2018, thus hindering part of our study.…”

“…We selected three A. cerana colonies in late 2017 that had no detectable viruses, including SBV, DWV, BQCV, and IAPV, in larval and pupal stages as the sources of test larvae, using the screening method we previously reported [19]. One colony was used for viral RNA injection (P0) and the first oral inoculation passage (P1) was conducted in 2017.…”

Differential Viral Distribution Patterns in Reproductive Tissues of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana Drones

“…CSBV was dominant in all tissues of A. cerana drones, especially in mucus glands and seminal vesicle tissues. Similarly, BQCV and DWV were the primary viruses detected in A. mellifera workers ( 17 ), whereas CSBV was the primary virus detected in A. cerana workers ( 18 , 31 ). Previous studies characterized CSBV to exhibit host-specificity and regional diversity ( 32 ).…”

Prevalence of honey bee pathogens and parasites in South Korea: A five-year surveillance study from 2017 to 2021

“…In South Korea, A. cerana suffers from three major pathogens: SBV, BQCV, and DWV. These pathogens were also prevalently detected in A. cerana in other Asian countries, including China [ 41 , 42 ] and Vietnam [ 43 ], and SBV was seen with the highest infection rate. SBV was first detected in A. mellifera [ 44 ], and different geographical genotypes of SBV were identified in Asian honey bee, A. cerana [ 45 ].…”