scholarly journals Comparing Survival of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Infection among Stocks of U.S. Honey Bees

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Shilpi Bhatia ◽  
Saman S. Baral ◽  
Carlos Vega Melendez ◽  
Esmaeil Amiri ◽  
Olav Rueppell
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus ◽  
Immune Genes ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Survival Differences ◽  
Paralysis Virus

Among numerous viruses that infect honey bees (Apis mellifera), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) can be linked to severe honey bee health problems. Breeding for virus resistance may improve honey bee health. To evaluate the potential for this approach, we compared the survival of IAPV infection among stocks from the U.S. We complemented the survival analysis with a survey of existing viruses in these stocks and assessing constitutive and induced expression of immune genes. Worker offspring from selected queens in a common apiary were inoculated with IAPV by topical applications after emergence to assess subsequent survival. Differences among stocks were small compared to variation within stocks, indicating the potential for improving honey bee survival of virus infections in all stocks. A positive relation between worker survival and virus load among stocks further suggested that honey bees may be able to adapt to better cope with viruses, while our molecular studies indicate that toll-6 may be related to survival differences among virus-infected worker bees. Together, these findings highlight the importance of viruses in queen breeding operations and provide a promising starting point for the quest to improve honey bee health by selectively breeding stock to be better able to survive virus infections.

scholarly journals Nationwide Screening for Bee Viruses and Parasites in Belgian Honey Bees

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 890
Author(s):  
Severine Matthijs ◽  
Valérie De Waele ◽  
Valerie Vandenberge ◽  
Bénédicte Verhoeven ◽  
Jacqueline Evers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Varroa Mites ◽  
Paralysis Virus

The health of honey bees is threatened by multiple factors, including viruses and parasites. We screened 557 honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies from 155 beekeepers distributed all over Belgium to determine the prevalence of seven widespread viruses and two parasites (Varroa sp. and Nosema sp.). Deformed wing virus B (DWV-B), black queen cell virus (BQCV), and sacbrood virus (SBV) were highly prevalent and detected by real-time RT-PCR in more than 95% of the colonies. Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) and deformed wing virus A (DWV-A) were prevalent to a lower extent (between 18 and 29%). Most viruses were only present at low or moderate viral loads. Nevertheless, about 50% of the colonies harbored at least one virus at high viral load (>107 genome copies/bee). Varroa mites and Nosema sp. were found in 81.5% and 59.7% of the honey bee colonies, respectively, and all Nosema were identified as Nosema ceranae by real time PCR. Interestingly, we found a significant correlation between the number of Varroa mites and DWV-B viral load. To determine the combined effect of these and other factors on honey bee health in Belgium, a follow up of colonies over multiple years is necessary.

scholarly journals RNAi and Antiviral Defense in the Honey Bee

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Brutscher ◽  
Michelle L. Flenniken
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Antiviral Defense ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Colony Losses ◽  
The Us ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health

Honey bees play an important agricultural and ecological role as pollinators of numerous agricultural crops and other plant species. Therefore, investigating the factors associated with high annual losses of honey bee colonies in the US is an important and active area of research. Pathogen incidence and abundance correlate with Colony Collapse Disorder- (CCD-) affected colonies in the US and colony losses in the US and in some European countries. Honey bees are readily infected by single-stranded positive sense RNA viruses. Largely dependent on the host immune response, virus infections can either remain asymptomatic or result in deformities, paralysis, or death of adults or larvae. RNA interference (RNAi) is an important antiviral defense mechanism in insects, including honey bees. Herein, we review the role of RNAi in honey bee antiviral defense and highlight some parallels between insect and mammalian immune systems. A more thorough understanding of the role of pathogens on honey bee health and the immune mechanisms bees utilize to combat infectious agents may lead to the development of strategies that enhance honey bee health and result in the discovery of additional mechanisms of immunity in metazoans.

scholarly journals Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Implications for Honey Bee Health

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e1004261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Ping Chen ◽  
Jeffery S. Pettis ◽  
Miguel Corona ◽  
Wei Ping Chen ◽  
Cong Jun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Paralysis Virus

scholarly journals Impact of Chronic Exposure to Sublethal Doses of Glyphosate on Honey Bee Immunity, Gut Microbiota and Infection by Pathogens

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 845
Author(s):  
Loreley Castelli ◽  
Sofía Balbuena ◽  
Belén Branchiccela ◽  
Pablo Zunino ◽  
Joanito Liberti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Immune Genes ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Sublethal Doses ◽  
The Impact

Glyphosate is the most used pesticide around the world. Although different studies have evidenced its negative effect on honey bees, including detrimental impacts on behavior, cognitive, sensory and developmental abilities, its use continues to grow. Recent studies have shown that it also alters the composition of the honey bee gut microbiota. In this study we explored the impact of chronic exposure to sublethal doses of glyphosate on the honey bee gut microbiota and its effects on the immune response, infection by Nosema ceranae and Deformed wing virus (DWV) and honey bee survival. Glyphosate combined with N. ceranae infection altered the structure and composition of the honey bee gut microbiota, for example by decreasing the relative abundance of the core members Snodgrassella alvi and Lactobacillus apis. Glyphosate increased the expression of some immune genes, possibly representing a physiological response to mitigate its negative effects. However, this response was not sufficient to maintain honey bee health, as glyphosate promoted the replication of DWV and decreased the expression of vitellogenin, which were accompanied by a reduced life span. Infection by N. ceranae also alters honey bee immunity although no synergistic effect with glyphosate was observed. These results corroborate previous findings suggesting deleterious effects of widespread use of glyphosate on honey bee health, and they contribute to elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying a global decline of pollination services.

scholarly journals Genomic Signatures of Honey Bee Association in an Acetic Acid Symbiont

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1882-1894
Author(s):  
Eric A Smith ◽  
Irene L G Newton
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

Abstract Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Indeed, the honey bee worker digestive tract harbors a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, and the composition of this community is known to impact honey bee health. However, the honey bee is a superorganism, a colony of eusocial insects with overlapping generations where nestmates cooperate, building a hive, gathering and storing food, and raising brood. In contrast to what is known regarding the honey bee worker gut microbiome, less is known of the microbes associated with developing brood, with food stores, and with the rest of the built hive environment. More recently, the microbe Bombella apis was identified as associated with nectar, with developing larvae, and with honey bee queens. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola and other species in the genus Saccharibacter, and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. Here, we used comparative genomics of multiple honey bee-associated strains and the nectar-associated Saccharibacter to identify genomic changes that may be associated with the ecological transition to honey bee association. We identified several genomic differences in the honey bee-associated strains, including a complete CRISPR/Cas system. Many of the changes we note here are predicted to confer upon Bombella the ability to survive in royal jelly and defend themselves against mobile elements, including phages. Our results are a first step toward identifying potential function of this microbe in the honey bee superorganism.

scholarly journals Chronic exposure to neonicotinoids reduces honey bee health near corn crops

Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 356 (6345) ◽  
pp. 1395-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Tsvetkov ◽  
O. Samson-Robert ◽  
K. Sood ◽  
H. S. Patel ◽  
D. A. Malena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Social Immunity ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Over Time

Experiments linking neonicotinoids and declining bee health have been criticized for not simulating realistic exposure. Here we quantified the duration and magnitude of neonicotinoid exposure in Canada’s corn-growing regions and used these data to design realistic experiments to investigate the effect of such insecticides on honey bees. Colonies near corn were naturally exposed to neonicotinoids for up to 4 months—the majority of the honey bee’s active season. Realistic experiments showed that neonicotinoids increased worker mortality and were associated with declines in social immunity and increased queenlessness over time. We also discovered that the acute toxicity of neonicotinoids to honey bees doubles in the presence of a commonly encountered fungicide. Our work demonstrates that field-realistic exposure to neonicotinoids can reduce honey bee health in corn-growing regions.

scholarly journals Deformed Wing Virus Infection in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 636-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman V. Koziy ◽  
Sarah C. Wood ◽  
Ivanna V. Kozii ◽  
Claire Janse van Rensburg ◽  
Igor Moshynskyy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Mandibular Glands ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Clinically Normal ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Workers

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a single-stranded RNA virus of honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.) transmitted by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Although DWV represents a major threat to honey bee health worldwide, the pathological basis of DWV infection is not well documented. The objective of this study was to investigate clinicopathological and histological aspects of natural DWV infection in honey bee workers. Emergence of worker honey bees was observed in 5 colonies that were clinically affected with DWV and the newly emerged bees were collected for histopathology. DWV-affected bees were 2 times slower to emerge and had 30% higher mortality compared to clinically normal bees. Hypopharyngeal glands in bees with DWV were hypoplastic, with fewer intracytoplasmic secretory vesicles; cells affected by apoptosis were observed more frequently. Mandibular glands were hypoplastic and were lined by cuboidal epithelium in severely affected bees compared to tall columnar epithelium in nonaffected bees. The DWV load was on average 1.7 × 106 times higher ( P < .001) in the severely affected workers compared to aged-matched sister honey bee workers that were not affected by deformed wing disease based on gross examination. Thus, DWV infection is associated with prolonged emergence, increased mortality during emergence, and hypoplasia of hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands in newly emerged worker honey bees in addition to previously reported deformed wing abnormalities.

scholarly journals Impacts of Diverse Natural Products on Honey Bee Viral Loads and Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 10732
Author(s):  
Dawn L. Boncristiani ◽  
James P. Tauber ◽  
Evan C. Palmer-Young ◽  
Lianfei Cao ◽  
William Collins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Bee Disease

Western honey bees (Apis mellifera), a cornerstone to crop pollination in the U.S., are faced with an onslaught of challenges from diseases caused by parasites, pathogens, and pests that affect this economically valuable pollinator. Natural products (NPs), produced by living organisms, including plants and microorganisms, can support health and combat disease in animals. NPs include both native extracts and individual compounds that can reduce disease impacts by supporting immunity or directly inhibiting pathogens, pests, and parasites. Herein, we describe the screening of NPs in laboratory cage studies for their effects on honey bee disease prevention and control. Depending on the expected activity of compounds, we measured varied responses, including viral levels, honey bee immune responses, and symbiotic bacteria loads. Of the NPs screened, several compounds demonstrated beneficial activities in honey bees by reducing levels of the critical honey bee virus deformed wing virus (DWV-A and-B), positively impacting the gut microbiome or stimulating honey bee immune responses. Investigations of the medicinal properties of NPs in honey bees will contribute to a better understanding of their potential to support honey bee immunity to fight off pests and pathogens and promote increased overall honey bee health. These investigations will also shed light on the ecological interactions between pollinators and specific floral food sources.

scholarly journals Characterisation of the UK honey bee (Apis mellifera) metagenome

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Regan ◽  
Mark W. Barnett ◽  
Dominik R. Laetsch ◽  
Stephen J. Bush ◽  
David Wragg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Molecular Ecology ◽  
Emerging Pathogens ◽  
Complex Product ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe European honey bee (Apis mellifera) plays a major role in pollination and food production, but is under threat from emerging pathogens and agro-environmental insults. As with other organisms, honey bee health is a complex product of environment, host genetics and associated microbes (commensal, opportunistic and pathogenic). Improved understanding of bee genetics and their molecular ecology can help manage modern challenges to bee health and production. Sampling bee and cobiont genomes, we characterised the metagenome of 19 honey bee colonies across Britain. Low heterozygosity was observed in bees from many Scottish colonies, sharing high similarity to the native dark bee, A. mellifera mellifera. Apiaries exhibited high diversity in the composition and relative abundance of individual microbiome taxa. Most non-bee sequences derived from known honey bee commensal bacteria or known pathogens, e.g. Lotmaria passim (Trypanosomatidae), and Nosema spp. (Microsporidia). However, DNA was also detected from numerous additional bacterial, plant (food source), protozoan and metazoan organisms. To classify sequences from cobionts lacking genomic information, we developed a novel network analysis approach clustering orphan contigs, allowing the identification of a pathogenic gregarine. Our analyses demonstrate the power of high-throughput, directed metagenomics in agroecosystems identifying potential threats to honey bees present in their microbiota.

scholarly journals Pollinating Collaboration: Diverse Stakeholders’ Efforts to Build Experiments in the Wake of the Honey Bee Crisis

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 686-711
Author(s):  
Daniel Lee Kleinman ◽  
Sainath Suryanarayanan
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Deliberative Process ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Over Time

We explored collaboration between scientists and nonscientists through a deliberative process in which stakeholders interested in the health challenges of honey bees gathered on four occasions over two years to design, carry out, and analyze a set of field experiments on honey bee health. We found that issues of trust and authority were crucial matters in constraining and enabling dialogue among our deliberants. Over the course of our deliberations, participants’ trust for one another and appreciation of their respective interests grew, and differences in professional status appeared to play an increasingly less important role in shaping discussion. The field experiments that deliberants crafted and collectively organized over time became an engagement object that was crucial in altering the dynamics of trust and authority. We understand engagement objects as entities that stakeholders with diverse interests, experiences, and expertise collectively build over time to collectively solve overlapping, interacting problems.

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