Abstract:Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite of honey bees, is also a vector for viral diseases. The mite displays high host specificity and requires access to colonies of Apis spp. to complete its lifecycle. In contrast, the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), one of the many viruses transmitted by V. destructor, appears to have a much broader host range. Previous studies have detected DWV in a variety of insect groups that are not directly parasitized by the mite. In this study, we take advantage of the discrete distribution of the Varroa mite in the Hawaiian archipelago to compare DWV prevalence on non-Apis flower visitors, and test whether Varroa presence is linked to a "viral spillover". We selected two islands with different viral landscapes: Oahu, where V. destructor has been present since 2007, and Maui, where the mite is absent. We sampled individuals of Apis mellifera, Ceratina smaragdula, Polistes aurifer, and Polistes exclamens, to assess and compare the DWV prevalence in the Hymenoptera community of the two islands. The results indicated that, as expected, honey bee colonies on Oahu have much higher incidence of DWV compared to Maui. Correspondingly, DWV was detected on the Non-Apis Hymenoptera collected from Oahu, but was absent in the species examined on Maui. The study sites selected shared a similar geography, climate, and insect fauna, but differed in the presence of the Varroa mite, suggesting an indirect, but significant, increase on DWV prevalence in the Hymenoptera community on mite-infected islands.

Since 1989 the presence of organic brown deposits on the inner surface of the shells of cultured manila clams Tapes philippinarum associated with episodes of high mortality has been recorded on the southern Atlantic coast of Spain. The gross signs observed in diseased clams were identical to those previously described in France as brown ring disease (BRD), caused by strains of Vibrio tapetis sp. nov This bacterial pathogen has been isolated in several French clam production areas, and recently in BRD-affected clams cultured in Gal~cia ( N W Spain) and Portugal, using bacteriological procedures. However, this methodology has failed to detect the pathogen in microbiological studies carned out in southwestern Spain. In the present study, an immunodetection test, based on the indirect immunofluorescence (11F) technique, xvas developed, using polyclonal antisera to V tapetis whole cells and against outer membrane (OM). This method provided evidence for the presence of the bacterium In all the BRD-affected clams analysed. V t a p e t~s was also detected by the same method in healthy (i.e. asymptomatic) clams, which indicates its opportunistic character.

Insects associate with a diversity of microbes that can shape host ecology and diversity by providing essential biological and adaptive services. For most insect groups, the evolutionary implications of host–microbe interactions remain poorly understood. Geographically discrete areas with high biodiversity offer powerful, simplified model systems to better understand insect–microbe interactions. Hawaii boasts a diverse endemic insect fauna (~6000 species) characterized by spectacular adaptive radiations. Despite this, little is known about the role of bacteria in shaping this diversity. To address this knowledge gap, we inaugurate the Native Hawaiian Insect Microbiome Initiative (NHIMI). The NHIMI is an effort intended to develop a framework for informing evolutionary and biological studies in Hawaii. To initiate this effort, we have sequenced the bacterial microbiomes of thirteen species representing iconic, endemic Hawaiian insect groups. Our results show that native Hawaiian insects associate with a diversity of bacteria that exhibit a wide phylogenetic breadth. Several groups show predictable associations with obligate microbes that permit diet specialization. Others exhibit unique ecological transitions that are correlated with shifts in their microbiomes (e.g., transition to carrion feeding from plant-feeding in Nysius wekiuicola). Finally, some groups, such as the Hawaiian Drosophila, have relatively diverse microbiomes with a conserved core of bacterial taxa across multiple species and islands.

Teleost fin rays regenerate when they are cut, forming a distal proliferating blastema that restores the entire structure in a few weeks. In the present study we have analysed the histochemical properties of the cells and the extracellular matrix of regenerating fins in two teleost species, Carassius auratus and Brachydanio rerio. Different cell types and states have been defined. Four epidermal cell types, i.e. peridermal, epidermal, basal epidermal and mucous cells, display different histochemical and lectin binding properties, depending on their distribution in the regenerative tissue. Blastema differentiates into two cell types: scleroblasts and fibroblasts. The scleroblasts stem from blastemal cells that have contacted the lateral palisade of actinotrichia and begun to release lepidotrichial material beneath the subepidermal basement membrane. The fibroblasts differentiate from blastemal cells in the centro-proximal region of the blastema. Both cell types pass through transient states. Blastemal cells showed increased affinities for Concanavalin agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin, toluidine blue and aldehyde-fuchsin, as they differentiated into scleroblasts and fibroblasts. Three different regions are histochemically distinguishable in the precalcified lepidotrichial hemisegment, reflecting different degrees of maturation: mature matrix, central band and the peripheral (immature) region contacting scleroblasts. Maturation of lepidotrichial matrix is characterized by the lost of affinity for lectins and strong positivity for silver methenamine. A catalogue of position-dependent histochemical affinities defining cell diversity in the regenerating fin of teleosts is proposed in order to correlate changes with the underlying regeneration mechanisms.& b d y :

The data presented in this article relates to the research article, “Evidence of Varroa-mediated Deformed Wing virus spillover in Hawaii” (Santamaria et al., 2017) [3]. The article presents data collected throughout August 2014 to November 2015, on the two Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Maui. Apis and non-Apis specimens – a total of four species – were collected and tested for Deformed Wing virus (DWV) absence or presence, only. Specific island locations are noted. This data is made publicly available to be analyzed or used in future relevant research.