scholarly journals An Investigation of Honey Bee Viruses Prevalence in Managed Honey Bees (Apis mellifera and Apis cerana) Undergone Colony Decline

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-66
Author(s):  
Chunying Yuan ◽  
Xuejian Jiang ◽  
Man Liu ◽  
Sa Yang ◽  
Shuai Deng ◽  
...  

Objective: In the absence of known clinical symptoms, viruses were considered to be the most probable key pathogens of honey bee. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and distribution of honey bee viruses in managed Apis mellifera and Apis cerana in China. Methods: We conducted a screening of 8 honey bee viruses on A. mellifera and A. cerana samples collected from 54 apiaries from 13 provinces in China using RT-PCR. Results: We found that the types and numbers of viral species significantly differed between A. mellifera and A. cerana. Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV), Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV), and Kakugo virus (DWV-A/KV) were the primary viruses found in A. mellifera colonies, whereas Chinese Sacbrood Bee Virus (CSBV) and Sacbrood Bee Virus (SBV) were the primary viruses found in A. cerana. The percentage infection of BQCV and CSBV were 84.6% and 61.6% in all detected samples. We first detected the occurrences of Varroa destructor virus-1 (VDV-1 or DWV-B) and DWV-A/KV in China but not ABPV in both A. mellifera and A. cerana. Conclusion: This study showed that BQCV and CSBV are the major threat to investigated A. mellifera and A. cerana colonies.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanchun Deng ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Xuejian Jiang ◽  
Sa Yang ◽  
Shuai Deng ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: In the absence of known clinical symptoms, viruses were considered to be the most probable key pathogens of honey bee. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and distribution of honey bee viruses in managed Apis mellifera and Apis cerana in China. Results: We conducted a screening of 9 honey bee viruses on A. mellifera and A. cerana samples collected from 54 apiaries from 13 provinces in China. We found that the types and numbers of viruses significantly differed between A. mellifera and A. cerana. Black queen cell virus (BQCV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) and Kakugo virus (DWV-C/KV) were the primary viruses found in A. mellifera colonies, whereas Chinese sacbrood bee virus (CSBV) and sacbrood bee virus (SBV) were the primary viruses found in A. cerana. The percentage infection of BQCV and CSBV were 84.6% and 61.6% in all detected samples. We first detected the occurrences of Varroa destructor virus-1(VDV-1, DWV-B) and DWV-C/KV in China but not ABPV in both A. mellifera and A. cerana.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1310
Author(s):  
Ivan Toplak ◽  
Laura Šimenc ◽  
Metka Pislak Ocepek ◽  
Danilo Bevk

In recent years, there has been growing evidence that certain types of honeybee viruses could be transmitted between different pollinators. Within a voluntary monitoring programme, 180 honeybee samples (Apis mellifera carnica) were collected from affected apiaries between 2007 and 2018. Also from August 2017 to August 2018, a total 148 samples of healthy bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius, B. pascuorum, B. terrestris, B. lucorum, B. hortorum, B. sylvarum, B. humilis) were collected at four different locations in Slovenia, and all samples were tested by using RT-PCR methods for six honeybee viruses. Direct sequencing of a total 158 positive samples (acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV n = 33), black queen cell virus (BQCV n = 75), sacbrood bee virus (SBV n = 25) and Lake Sinai virus (LSV n = 25)) was performed from obtained RT-PCR products. The genetic comparison of identified positive samples of bumblebees and detected honeybee field strains of ABPV, BQCV, SBV, and LSV demonstrated 98.74% to 100% nucleotide identity between both species. This study not only provides evidence that honeybees and bumblebees are infected with genetically identical or closely related viral strains of four endemically present honeybee viruses but also detected a high diversity of circulating strains in bumblebees, similar as was observed among honeybees. Important new genetic data for endemic strains circulating in honeybees and bumblebees in Slovenia are presented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-217
Author(s):  
R. Shumkova ◽  
B. Neov ◽  
A. Georgieva ◽  
D. Teofanova ◽  
G. Radoslavov ◽  
...  

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera L., Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a species of fundamental economic, agricultural and environmental importance. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of some parasitic and viral pathogens in local honey bees from the Rodope Mountains and plain regions. To achieve this goal, molecular screening for two of the most distributed Nosema spp. and molecular identification of six honey bee viruses – Deformed wing virus (DWV), Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), Sacbrood virus (SBV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), and Black queen cell virus (BQCV) was performed. Molecular analysis was carried out on 168 honey bee samples from apiaries situated in three different parts of the country where a mix of different honey bee subspecies were reared. In South Bulgaria (the Rhodope Mountains), a local honey bee called Apis mellifera rodopica (a local ecotype of A. m. macedonica) was bred, while in the other two regions (plains) different introduced subspecies existed. The results showed that the samples from the lowland regions in the country were outlined with the highest prevalence (70.5%) of N. ceranae, while those from the mountainous parts had the lowest rate (5.2%). Four of the honey bee viruses were identified – DWV (10/5.9%), followed by SBV (6/3.6%) and ABPV (2/1.2%), and one case of BQCV. In conclusion, the local honey bee A. m. rodopica (despite the higher number of samples) has shown lower prevalence of both nosemosis and viral infections. Therefore, this honey bee has to be preserved as a part of the national biodiversity.


AGROFOR ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav SHYBANOV ◽  
Alla KHARINA ◽  
Oksana STAKHURSKA ◽  
Galyna SNIHUR ◽  
Taras KOMPANETS

A survey of honey bee viruses on the territory of Ukraine has been conducted forthe first time in 2016-2017 years. The samples of adult bees, affected combs andmites were collected from apiaries in two regions (Kyiv and Cherkasy). Detailedstudying of the bee samples revealed following morphological changes: deformedwings, saccular brood, blackened pistil, changing of the body color. Virus-likeparticles were observed under TEM after purification of bee samples.Symptomless samples were also analyzed for the presence of bee viruses by RTPCR.According to results of RT-PCR, we concluded that the following virusescirculate on the territory of Ukraine: Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), KashmirBee Virus (KBV), Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), Black Queen Cell Virus(BQCV), Sacbrood Bee Virus (SBV) Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV). Takentogether, these data indicate that bee virus infections occur in bee populations onthe territory of Ukraine. Despite the lack of symptoms viruses are often present incolonies and environmental factors might result disease outbreaks that lead to theactivation of viral replication in bees.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 884
Author(s):  
Metka Pislak Ocepek ◽  
Ivan Toplak ◽  
Urška Zajc ◽  
Danilo Bevk

Slovenia has a long tradition of beekeeping and a high density of honeybee colonies, but less is known about bumblebees and their pathogens. Therefore, a study was conducted to define the incidence and prevalence of pathogens in bumblebees and to determine whether there are links between infections in bumblebees and honeybees. In 2017 and 2018, clinically healthy workers of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and honeybees (Apis mellifera) were collected on flowers at four different locations in Slovenia. In addition, bumblebee queens were also collected in 2018. Several pathogens were detected in the bumblebee workers using PCR and RT-PCR methods: 8.8% on acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), 58.5% on black queen cell virus (BQCV), 6.8% on deformed wing virus (DWV), 24.5% on sacbrood bee virus (SBV), 15.6% on Lake Sinai virus (LSV), 16.3% on Nosema bombi, 8.2% on Nosema ceranae, 15.0% on Apicystis bombi and 17.0% on Crithidia bombi. In bumblebee queens, only the presence of BQCV, A. bombi and C. bombi was detected with 73.3, 26.3 and 33.3% positive samples, respectively. This study confirmed that several pathogens are regularly detected in both bumblebees and honeybees. Further studies on the pathogen transmission routes are required.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Loreley Castelli ◽  
María Laura Genchi García ◽  
Anne Dalmon ◽  
Daniela Arredondo ◽  
Karina Antúnez ◽  
...  

RNA viruses play a significant role in the current high losses of pollinators. Although many studies have focused on the epidemiology of western honey bee (Apis mellifera) viruses at the colony level, the dynamics of virus infection within colonies remains poorly explored. In this study, the two main variants of the ubiquitous honey bee virus DWV as well as three major honey bee viruses (SBV, ABPV and BQCV) were analyzed from Varroa-destructor-parasitized pupae. More precisely, RT-qPCR was used to quantify and compare virus genome copies across honey bee pupae at the individual and subfamily levels (i.e., patrilines, sharing the same mother queen but with different drones as fathers). Additionally, virus genome copies were compared in cells parasitized by reproducing and non-reproducing mite foundresses to assess the role of this vector. Only DWV was detected in the samples, and the two variants of this virus significantly differed when comparing the sampling period, colonies and patrilines. Moreover, DWV-A and DWV-B exhibited different infection patterns, reflecting contrasting dynamics. Altogether, these results provide new insight into honey bee diseases and stress the need for more studies about the mechanisms of intra-colonial disease variation in social insects.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 372
Author(s):  
Antonio Nanetti ◽  
James D. Ellis ◽  
Ilaria Cardaio ◽  
Giovanni Cilia

Knowledge regarding the honey bee pathogens borne by invasive bee pests remains scarce. This investigation aimed to assess the presence in Aethina tumida (small hive beetle, SHB) adults of honey bee pathogens belonging to the following groups: (i) bacteria (Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius), (ii) trypanosomatids (Lotmaria passim and Crithidia mellificae), and (iii) viruses (black queen cell virus, Kashmir bee virus, deformed wing virus, slow paralysis virus, sacbrood virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus, acute bee paralysis virus, chronic bee paralysis virus). Specimens were collected from free-flying colonies in Gainesville (Florida, U.S.A.) in summer 2017. The results of the molecular analysis show the presence of L. passim, C. mellificae, and replicative forms of deformed wing virus (DWV) and Kashmir bee virus (KBV). Replicative forms of KBV have not previously been reported. These results support the hypothesis of pathogen spillover between managed honey bees and the SHB, and these dynamics require further investigation.


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