Prevalence of Four Common Bee RNA Viruses in Eastern Bee Populations in Yunnan Province, China

Miao Wang,Junlong Bi

doi:10.4172/2157-7579.1000284

Miao Wang, Junlong Bi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7579.1000284

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Abstract

Deformed wing virus (DWV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), sacbrood virus (SBV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) are the most common RNA viruses in bee population worldwide. To determine the prevalence of these viruses in Apis cerana in Yunnan Province, China, 270 adult Eastern worker bee (A. cerana) samples have been collected from nine major bee breeding regions in Yunnan province for screening. Our data showed that BQCV, DWV, KBV and SBV are widely prevalent in Yunnan Province. The total prevalence rates of KBV, DWV, SBV and BQCV in Yunnan province were 3%, 14.8%, 24.1% and 36.3%, respectively. BQCV was detected in all selected regions except Jinghong City. The prevalence of KBV in Tengchong County is the first evidence, to our knowledge, showing that Eastern bees could be infected by KBV. The highest infection rate of SBV was found in Kunming city (56.7%). Sequence analysis demonstrated high nucleotide homology between the isolated BQCV, DWV, KBV and SBV strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that except SBV (YNO7), Yunnan isolates can be likely clustered into independent branches, which indicates the possibility of geographic origins.

Highlights

The Eastern bee (Apis cerana) has unique biological and behavioral characteristics, playing unique and important roles during the pollination of plants [1]
Eastern bees are widely distributed in Yunnan province, from the low and hot valley of Hekou County to the high and cold region of Zhongdian County
This study established RT-PCR methods for the rapid detection of six of the most common bee ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses with high sensitivity and analytic specificity, and identified the prevalence status of deformed wing virus (DWV), sacbrood virus (SBV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV) and black queen cell virus (BQCV) in Eastern Bee colonies in Yunnan province

Summary

Introduction

The Eastern bee (Apis cerana) has unique biological and behavioral characteristics, playing unique and important roles during the pollination of plants [1]. Located in the far southwest in China, bordering Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, Yunnan is the most biologically and culturally diverse province. This province contains snow-capped mountains and true tropical environment, supporting an unusually full spectrum of species and vegetation types. Bee colonies have been continually declining worldwide over the past 50 years, the reasons for which have often been linked to the spread of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor and its interaction with certain bee viruses [3]. Both the European bees and the Asian bees are susceptible to a variety of viruses and some other pathogens. Infection or co-infection with these viruses has been reported in the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Denmark, Japan and Thailand [5]

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