Pupal cannibalism by worker honey bees contributes to the spread of deformed wing virus

Posada-Florez, Francisco; Lamas, Zachary S.; Hawthorne, David J.; Chen, Yanping; Evans, Jay D.; Ryabov, Eugene V.

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88649-y

Cited by 34 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 63 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…To add another layer that is unique to social groups, Varroa also acquired DWV from non-parasitized bees that had themselves acquired this virus from nestmates via communicable transmission. Host to host transmission occurs through trophallaxis between adult bees, and our results strengthen and quantify previous observations that infectious hosts transmit DWV communicably to susceptible nestmates 12 . We were able to track viral transmission from introduction through multiple circulations between hosts and vectors.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Oversharing by honey bees and the spread of viruses

Lamas

Ryabov

Hawthorne

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Deformed wing virus (DWV) is an emerging insect pathogen efficiently transmitted through communicable and vector-borne routes with Apis mellifera. Continual transmission of DWV between hosts and vectors is required for maintenance of the pathogen within the population, and this vector-host-pathogen system offers unique disease transmission dynamics for pathogen maintenance between vector and a social host. In a series of experiments, we study how vector-vector, host-host and host-vector transmission routes maintain DWV in a honey bee population. We found co-infestations on shared hosts allowed for movement of DWV from mite to mite. Additionally, two social behaviors of the honeybee, trophallaxis and cannibalization of pupae, provide routes for communicable transmission from bee to bee. Communicable circulation of the virus solely amongst hosts was then shown to act as a reservoir of DWV for naïve Varroa to acquire and subsequently vector the pathogen. Our findings illustrate communicable transmission between hosts can maintain and influence the future acquisition and vectoring of a pathogen by a vector. There are a handful of other infectious diseases, both zoonotic and which impact human health, that have potentially similar transmission dynamics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Oversharing by honey bees and the spread of viruses

Lamas

Ryabov

Hawthorne

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The persistence of DWV-B in the absence of the vector illustrates the importance of alternative transmission modes. DWV is transmissible in pollen and larval food (Singh et al, 2010;Yue & Genersch, 2005), and acquired through the cannibalisation of infected pupae (Posada-Florez et al, 2021). Transovum vertical transmission from queen to offspring can occur, but is not the most efficient transmission pathway (Amiri et al, 2018;Chen, Pettis, et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation to vector‐based transmission in a honeybee virus

Norton

Remnant

Tom

et al. 2021

Journal of Animal Ecology

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1. Global pollinator declines as a result of emerging infectious diseases are of major concern. Managed honeybees Apis mellifera are susceptible to numerous parasites and pathogens, many of which appear to be transmissible to sympatric non-Apis taxa. The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is considered to be the most significant threat to honeybees due to its role in vectoring RNA viruses, particularly Deformed wing virus (DWV). Vector transmission of DWV has resulted in the accumulation of high viral loads in honeybees and is often associated with colony death. DWV has two main genotypes, A and B. DWV-A was more prevalent during the initial phase of V. destructor establishment. In recent years, the global prevalence of DWV-B has increased, suggesting that DWV-B is better adapted to vector transmission than DWV-A.2. We aimed to determine the role vector transmission plays in DWV genotype prevalence at a colony level.3. We experimentally increased or decreased the number of V. destructor mites in honeybee colonies, and tracked DWV-A and DWV-B loads over a period of 10 months. 4. Our results show that the two DWV genotypes differ in their response to mite numbers. DWV-A accumulation in honeybees was positively correlated with mite numbers yet DWV-A was largely undetected in the absence of the mite. In contrast, colonies had high loads of DWV-B even when mite numbers were low. DWV-B loads persisted in miticide-treated colonies, indicating that this genotype has a competitive advantage over DWV-A irrespective of mite numbers.

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“…It is well established that by removing or controlling for Varroa mites, associated viruses may be managed indirectly 111 , 112 , thus, there is practical merit in focussing on Varroa , it being the upstream epidemiological factor. This is well-illustrated by the finding that while VSH behaviour can in fact lead to the spread of DWV via pupal cannibalism in the lab 140 , it nevertheless reduces DWV titres at the colony-level in the field (Figs. 3 d, 4 f), as it mitigates a more potent transmission pathway—that of Varroa feeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

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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Pupal cannibalism by worker honey bees contributes to the spread of deformed wing virus

Cited by 34 publications

References 63 publications

Oversharing by honey bees and the spread of viruses

Oversharing by honey bees and the spread of viruses

Adaptation to vector‐based transmission in a honeybee virus

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

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