scholarly journals Viruses in the Invasive Hornet Vespa velutina

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Dalmon ◽  
Philippe Gayral ◽  
Damien Decante ◽  
Christophe Klopp ◽  
Diane Bigot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Acyrthosiphon Pisum ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Vespa Velutina ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Acute Bee Paralysis Virus ◽  
Bee Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus

The Asian yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax, a major predator of honeybees, is spreading in Europe in part due to a lack of efficient control methods. In this study, as a first step to identify biological control agents, we characterized viral RNA sequences present in asymptomatic or symptomatic hornets. Among 19 detected viruses, the honey bee virus Deformed wing virus-B was predominant in all the samples, particularly in muscles from the symptomatic hornet, suggesting a putative cause of the deformed wing symptom. Interestingly, two new viruses closely related to Acyrthosiphon pisum virus and Himetobi P virus and viruses typically associated with honey bees, Acute bee paralysis virus and Black queen cell virus, were detected in the brain and muscles, and may correspond to the circulation and possible replication forms of these viruses in the hornet. Aphid lethal paralysis virus, Bee Macula-like virus, and Moku virus, which are known to infect honey bees, were also identified in the gut virus metagenome of hornets. Therefore, our study underlined the urgent need to study the host range of these newly discovered viruses in hornets to determine whether they represent a new threat for honey bees or a hope for the biocontrol of V. velutina.

scholarly journals Detection of Lotmaria passim, Crithidia mellificae and Replicative Forms of Deformed Wing Virus and Kashmir Bee Virus in the Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida)

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 372
Author(s):  
Antonio Nanetti ◽  
James D. Ellis ◽  
Ilaria Cardaio ◽  
Giovanni Cilia
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Aethina Tumida ◽  
Small Hive Beetle ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Kashmir Bee Virus ◽  
Acute Bee Paralysis Virus ◽  
Bee Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus ◽  
Lotmaria Passim

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.

scholarly journals The Pathogens Spillover and Incidence Correlation in Bumblebees and Honeybees in Slovenia

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 884
Author(s):  
Metka Pislak Ocepek ◽  
Ivan Toplak ◽  
Urška Zajc ◽  
Danilo Bevk
Keyword(s):  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Black Queen Cell Virus ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Nosema Bombi ◽  
Crithidia Bombi ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Acute Bee Paralysis Virus ◽  
Bee Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus

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.

scholarly journals Discovery of Aphid Lethal Paralysis Virus in Vespa velutina and Apis cerana in China

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahe Yang ◽  
Hongxia Zhao ◽  
Junming Shi ◽  
Xiang Xu ◽  
Yanyan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Viral Reservoir ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Vespa Velutina ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Paralysis Virus

Honey bees are essential to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. However, despite no single factor being blamed for losses of honey bee colonies in Europe and the USA, viruses have been considered as a major driver. Moreover, a virus vector can enhance the titer and virulence of virus such as Varroa destructor can change the virulence of the deformed wing virus. Here, we report molecular evidence for aphid lethal paralysis virus (ALPV) infecting Vespa velutina, which is an important predator of honey bees, especially of Apis cerana. Viral replication and phylogenetic analysis indicated that ALPV can not only replicate in V. velutina and A. cerana, but ALPV from A. cerana (ALPV-Ac) was also significantly associated with that of V. velutina (ALPV-Vv), though distinct from those of Apis mellifera (ALPV-Am). The host state posterior probability displayed that V. velutina is the main viral reservoir between V. velutina and A. cerana. Our results show ALPV had expanded host diversity resulting in potential impacts on the health of pollinators, even on the pollination ecosystem. We suggest further studies should investigate potential risks and impacts on pollinator populations of hornets. These results should have an impact conservation efforts focused on sustaining native pollinator abundance and diversity, and therefore, the crucial ecosystem services that they provide.

scholarly journals The Pathogen Profile of a Honey Bee Queen Does Not Reflect That of Her Workers

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Kevill ◽  
Katie Lee ◽  
Michael Goblirsch ◽  
Erin McDermott ◽  
David R. Tarpy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Black Queen Cell Virus ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Honey Bee Queen ◽  
Acute Bee Paralysis Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus

Throughout a honey bee queen’s lifetime, she is tended to by her worker daughters, who feed and groom her. Such interactions provide possible horizontal transmission routes for pathogens from the workers to the queen, and as such a queen’s pathogen profile may be representative of the workers within a colony. To explore this further, we investigated known honey bee pathogen co-occurrence, as well as pathogen transmission from workers to queens. Queens from 42 colonies were removed from their source hives and exchanged into a second, unrelated foster colony. Worker samples were taken from the source colony on the day of queen exchange and the queens were collected 24 days after introduction. All samples were screened for Nosema spp., Trypanosome spp., acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), Lake Sinai virus (LSV), and deformed wing virus master variants (DWV-A, B, and C) using RT-qPCR. The data show that LSV, Nosema, and DWV-B were the most abundant pathogens in colonies. All workers (n = 42) were LSV-positive, 88% were Nosema-positive, whilst pathogen loads were low (<1 × 106 genome equivalents per pooled worker sample). All queens (n = 39) were negative for both LSV and Nosema. We found no evidence of DWV transmission occurring from worker to queen when comparing queens to foster colonies, despite DWV being present in both queens and workers. Honey bee pathogen presence and diversity in queens cannot be revealed from screening workers, nor were pathogens successfully transmitted to the queen.

scholarly journals Determination of Genetically Identical Strains of Four Honeybee Viruses in Bumblebee Positive Samples

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1310
Author(s):  
Ivan Toplak ◽  
Laura Šimenc ◽  
Metka Pislak Ocepek ◽  
Danilo Bevk
Keyword(s):  
Direct Sequencing ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Black Queen Cell Virus ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Acute Bee Paralysis Virus ◽  
Bee Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus ◽  
High Diversity

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.

scholarly journals Resistance of native honey bees from Rhodope Mountains and lowland regions of Bulgaria to Nosema ceranae and viral pathogens

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-217
Author(s):  
R. Shumkova ◽  
B. Neov ◽  
A. Georgieva ◽  
D. Teofanova ◽  
G. Radoslavov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Kashmir Bee Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus ◽  
Bee Viruses

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.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Transmission of Honeybee Viruses

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 606-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. P. Chen ◽  
J. S. Pettis ◽  
A. Collins ◽  
M. F. Feldlaufer
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Transmission ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Transmission Mechanisms ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Kashmir Bee Virus ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Bee Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus

ABSTRACT Transmission mechanisms of six honeybee viruses, including acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), deformed wing virus (DWV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), and sacbrood bee virus (SBV), in honey bee colonies were investigated by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) methods. The virus status of individual queens was evaluated by examining the presence of viruses in the queens' feces and tissues, including hemolymph, gut, ovaries, spermatheca, head, and eviscerated body. Except for head tissue, all five tissues as well as queen feces were found to be positive for virus infections. When queens in bee colonies were identified as positive for BQCV, DWV, CBPV, KBV, and SBV, the same viruses were detected in their offspring, including eggs, larvae, and adult workers. On the other hand, when queens were found positive for only two viruses, BQCV and DWV, only these two viruses were detected in their offspring. The presence of viruses in the tissue of ovaries and the detection of the same viruses in queens' eggs and young larvae suggest vertical transmission of viruses from queens to offspring. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of vertical transmission of viruses in honeybee colonies.

Prevalence of common honey bee pathogens at selected apiaries in Kenya, 2013/2014

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (01) ◽  
pp. 58-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette R. Ongus ◽  
Ayuka T. Fombong ◽  
Janet Irungu ◽  
Daniel Masiga ◽  
Suresh Raina
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Kashmir Bee Virus ◽  
Bee Disease ◽  
Acute Bee Paralysis Virus ◽  
Paralysis Virus

AbstractThe present study was part of a larger surveillance effort to identify the determinants of African honey bee health, and, particularly, to detect honey bee pathogens across Kenya, where 160 colonies were examined from 32 apiaries (five colonies/apiary). From each colony, 20 individual foragers, nurse bees, worker pupae, and drone pupae were sampled separately. These were organized as 30 foragers, 32 nurse bees, 28 worker pupae, and 10 drone pupae pools. Nucleic acid was extracted from the pooled homogenates and tested using a panel of 18 different (RT-)PCR methods targeted at detectingPaenibacillus larvae,Melissococcus plutonius,Ascophaera apis,Aspergillusspp.,Nosema ceranae, N. apis,Deformed wing virus(DWV),Varroa destructor virus 1(VDV 1),Acute bee paralysis virus(ABPV),Sacbrood virus(SBV),Israeli acute paralysis virus(IAPV),Black queen cell virus(BQCV),Chronic bee paralysis virus(CBPV), andKashmir bee virus. All amplified bands were sequenced and compared to the GenBank database. VDV 1 was the most abundant virus at 50% prevalence in the 100 bee pools. It was closely followed by DWV at 44%. The others were BQCV (36%), SBV (14%), IAPV (9%), ABPV (8%), andN. ceranae(5%). The pathogens co-existed within apiaries. VDV 1 was present in 66% of the apiaries, DWV in 69%, BQCV in 69%, SBV in 28%, IAPV in 22%, ABPV in 19%, andN. ceranaein 13%. The study concludes that these pathogens should be incorporated in honey bee disease surveillance activities in the region.

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