Differential Viral Distribution Patterns in Reproductive Tissues of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana Drones

Abstract

Honeybee drones are male bees that mate with virgin queens during the mating flight, consequently transferring their genes to offspring. Therefore, the health of drones affects the overall fitness of the offspring and ultimately the survivability of the colony. Honeybee viruses are considered to be a major threat to the health of honeybees. In the present study, we demonstrated the pattern of common honeybee viruses in various tissues of drones in the western honeybee, Apis mellifera, and the eastern honeybee, Apis cerana. Drones were collected during the mating flight and analyzed using quantitative real-time (qRT-PCR) to detect the presence of seven honeybee viruses. The qRT-PCR result revealed that three honeybee viruses, namely Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV), Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), and Chinese Sacbrood Virus (CSBV), were detected in the reproductive tissues of A. mellifera and A. cerana drones. The results from qRT-PCR showed that the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) was only detected in A. mellifera drone body tissues. Moreover, the prevalence of DWV and BQCV in the drones collected from A. mellifera colonies was significantly higher than that of A. cerana. In addition, virus multiple infections were higher in A. mellifera drones compared to those in A. cerana. CSBV was found predominantly in the reproductive tissues of A. cerana drones. This study is the first report describing the presence of the CSBV in reproductive tissues of A. mellifera drones. Our results may reflect the preference of honeybee viruses in honeybee species and may provide a piece of interesting evidence for understanding the virus transmission in A. cerana.

Preliminary Survey of Pathogens in the Asian Honey Bee (Apis cerana) in Thailand

“…The reciprocal transmission of Varroa destructor and N. ceranae between A. cerana and A. mellifera has also been found to decrease honey quality and productivity [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Chinese sacbrood virus (CSBV) is a serious threat to A. cerana , and it has been detected in Chinese populations of A. mellifera [ 24 ]. These factors have caused a great decline in A. cerana populations over the past few years [ 25 ].…”

Transcriptomic Responses Underlying the High Virulence of Black Queen Cell Virus and Sacbrood Virus following a Change in Their Mode of Transmission in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

“…SBV transmission in honey bee colonies can occur through either vertical or horizontal transmission routes [ 10 , 27 ]. It was also found to be transmitted venereally in honey bees, where the virus was passed on to queens via drone sperm during mating or artificial insemination [ 28 , 29 ]. BQCV and SBV may commonly co-occur in honey bees [ 20 ].…”

Визначення Пролонгованої Дії Пробіотика «апінормін» І Діоксиду Церію На Стан Зимівлі Бджолиних Сімей І Літній Прояв У Них Мішечкуватого Розплоду

“…Тобто і «Апінормін» і нанорозмірний діоксид церію (нано-СеО 2 ) не мали противірусного пролонгованого ефекту, навіть за умови підкріплення дії препаратів тривалим (1,5-2,5 місяці) зимовим безрозплідним періодом. Це дозволяє припустити, що в даному експерименті матки були носіями інфекції, які трансоваріально її передавали наступним поколінням, що узгоджується з даними літератури про статевий шлях передачі збудника мішечкуватого розплоду (Prodelalova et al, 2019;Phokasem et al, 2021). Отже, зимового безрозплідного періоду не було досить для оздоровлення бджолиних сімей за мішечкуватого розплоду.…”