Intricate transmission routes and interactions between picorna-like viruses (Kashmir bee virus and sacbrood virus) with the honeybee host and the parasitic varroa mite.

Viral diseases of honeybees are a major problem in apiculture, causing serious economic losses worldwide, especially in combination with varroa mites. To increase understanding of the relationship among viruses, mites and colony decline, the tripartite relationships among bees, viruses [Kashmir bee virus (KBV) and sacbrood virus (SBV)] and varroa mites have been investigated systematically. To develop an antibody-based test for KBV, two structural recombinant proteins were purified for polyclonal-antibody production. By using ELISA and RT-PCR, the presence of KBV and SBV was studied comparatively in different developmental stages and castes of bees. The results demonstrated that KBV may persist as a viral genome with extremely low levels of viral-capsid proteins and that KBV and SBV can co-infect honeybees. This study indicated the presence of KBV and SBV RNAs in both queens and eggs by RT-PCR, suggesting a route of transovarial transmission. Horizontal transmission is also very likely among adult bees and from adult workers to larvae through contaminated food resources, because both viruses have been detected in all developmental stages and food sources (brood food, honey, pollen and royal jelly). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that mites were another possible route of horizontal transmission, as both viruses were detected in mites and their saliva. This study, for the first time, detected co-occurrence of viruses in varroa, further underlining the importance of the mites in vectoring different bee viruses. Therefore, these results indicated that multiple infection routes exist for honeybee viral diseases.

[1]  C. Cameron,et al.  Complete nucleotide sequence of Kashmir bee virus and comparison with acute bee paralysis virus. , 2004, The Journal of general virology.

[2]  P. Sarnow,et al.  Divergent tRNA-like element supports initiation, elongation, and termination of protein biosynthesis , 2003, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[3]  G. Topolska,et al.  Phylogenetic Analysis of Acute Bee Paralysis Virus Strains , 2002, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[4]  Zhidong Zhang,et al.  Aspects of the persistence of foot-and-mouth disease virus in animals--the carrier problem. , 2002, Microbes and infection.

[5]  S. Girard,et al.  Restriction of poliovirus RNA replication in persistently infected nerve cells. , 2002, The Journal of general virology.

[6]  John E. Johnson,et al.  Evolutionary and taxonomic implications of conserved structural motifs between picornaviruses and insect picorna-like viruses , 2002, Archives of Virology.

[7]  Wolfgang Ritter,et al.  Sacbrood Virus of the Honeybee (Apis mellifera): Rapid Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis Using Reverse Transcription-PCR , 2001, Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology.

[8]  H. Hansen,et al.  Interactions among Varroa jacobsoni mites, acute paralysis virus, and Paenibacillus larvae larvae and their influence on mortality of larval honeybees in vitro , 2000 .

[9]  N. Nakashima,et al.  Methionine-independent initiation of translation in the capsid protein of an insect RNA virus. , 2000, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[10]  A. C. Hung,et al.  PCR detection of Kashmir bee virus in honey bee excreta , 2000 .

[11]  C. Peng,et al.  Nucleotide sequence variations in Kashmir bee virus isolated from Apis mellifera L. and Varroa jacobsoni Oud. , 2000 .

[12]  B. Ball,et al.  The nucleotide sequence of sacbrood virus of the honey bee: an insect picorna-like virus. , 1999, The Journal of general virology.

[13]  N. Nakashima,et al.  Translation Initiation at the CUU Codon Is Mediated by the Internal Ribosome Entry Site of an Insect Picorna-Like Virus In Vitro , 1999, Journal of Virology.

[14]  E. Harlow,et al.  Using Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual , 1999 .

[15]  A. C. Hung,et al.  A scientific note on the detection of Kashmir bee virus in individual honeybees and Varroa jacobsoni mites , 1999 .

[16]  B. Ball,et al.  The incidence and world distribution of honey bee viruses , 1996 .

[17]  B. Ball,et al.  Characterisation and serological relationships of strains of Kashmir bee virus , 1995 .

[18]  G. Sisson,et al.  Molecular diagnosis of Kashmir bee virus infection , 1995 .

[19]  I. Fries,et al.  Varroa jacobsoni Oud. in cold climates: population growth, winter mortality and influence on the survival of honey bee colonies , 1992 .

[20]  B. Ball,et al.  The prevalence of pathogens in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies infested with the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni , 1988 .

[21]  J. Antoniw,et al.  The detection of acute paralysis virus in Varroa jacobsoni by the use of a simple indirect ELISA. , 1986 .

[22]  D. Dall.  Inapparent infection of honey bee pupae by Kashmir and sacbrood bee viruses in Australia , 1985 .

[23]  Roger A. Morse,et al.  The Illustrated encyclopedia of beekeeping , 1985 .

[24]  B. Ball.  association of Varroa jacobsoni with virus diseases of honey bees , 1983 .

[25]  Margaret Nixon.  Preliminary World Maps of Honeybee Diseases and Parasites , 1982 .

[26]  L. Bailey,et al.  Two More Small RNA Viruses from Honey Bees and Further Observations on Sacbrood and Acute Bee-Paralysis Viruses , 1977 .

[27]  L. Bailey.  The multiplication and spread of sacbrood virus of bees. , 1969, The Annals of applied biology.

[28]  A. Gibbs,et al.  SACBROOD VIRUS OF THE LARVAL HONEY BEE (APIS MELLIFERA LINNAEUS). , 1964, Virology.