Abstract
Instrumental insemination of Apis mellifera L. queens is a widely employed technique used in honeybee breeding that enables the effective control of mating. However, drone semen represents a potential source of honeybee viruses. In this study, 43 semen doses collected from apparently healthy drones, and consequently used in instrumental insemination, were analysed using PCR or RT-PCR to detect the presence of viral genome of 11 honeybee viruses. In 91% of samples, viral infection was detected. The survey revealed genomes of five viruses, namely Deformed wing virus (DWV), Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), Black queen cell virus (BQCV), Sacbrood virus (SBV), and A. mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) in 84%, 19%, 14%, 2%, and 67% of samples, respectively. Single infection (30% of samples) as well as multiple infection (61% of samples) of two, three or four pathogens were also evaluated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study describing the presence of the BQCV and SBV genome sequence in drone ejaculate. Phylogenetic analysis of BQCV partial helicase gene sequence revealed the high similarity of nucleotide sequence of described Czech strains, which varied from 91.4% to 99.6%. The findings of our study indicate the possibility of venereal transmission of BQCV and SBV.
Highlights
Instrumental insemination of Apis mellifera queens started in the 1920s [1], and was first described in the 1940s [2]
As honeybee queens mate in flights with drones originating from colonies up to 15 km distant [4], the use of geographically isolated mating stations usually located in small islands or confined valleys is the second and the last method for honeybee breeding [4,5]
Honeybee viruses in semen have been recognized among the risk factors in the trade of honeybees and their products, as collected semen and semen trade could be responsible for virus spreading [12]
Summary
Instrumental insemination of Apis mellifera queens started in the 1920s [1], and was first described in the 1940s [2] It has been widely used in honeybee breeding programs and represents a primary method of controlling mating where there is no other option to effectively isolate a breeding population [3]. Techniques enabling the mixing of large sperm volumes to inseminate the queens have been described [10,11] Another significant advantage of instrumental insemination is the ability to store and ship semen instead of live bees, which minimizes the risk of spreading pests and diseases threatening the health and vigour of honeybee colonies [1]. Honeybee viruses have been identified as crucial contributors to huge losses of managed honeybees, which have been reported
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