Affiliation:
1. Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Abstract
The arrival of the ectoparasitic mite
Varroa destructor
on the western honeybee
Apis mellifera
saw a change in the diversity and prevalence of honeybee RNA viruses. One virus in particular, deformed wing virus (DWV) has become closely associated with
V. destructor
, leading many to conclude that
V. destructor
has affected viral virulence by changing the mode of transmission. While DWV is normally transmitted via feeding and faeces,
V. destructor
transmits viruses by direct injection. This change could have resulted in higher viral prevalence causing increased damage to the bees. Here we test the effect of a change in the mode of transmission on the composition and levels of honeybee RNA viruses in the absence of
V. destructor
. We find a rapid increase in levels of two viruses, sacbrood virus (SBV) and black queen cell virus (BQCV) after direct injection of viral extracts into honeybee pupae. In pupae injected with high levels of DWV extracted from symptomatic adult bees, DWV levels rapidly decline in the presence of SBV and BQCV. Further, we observe high mortality in honeybee pupae when injected with SBV and BQCV, whereas injecting pupae with high levels of DWV results in near 100% survival. Our results suggest a different explanation for the observed association between
V. destructor
and DWV. Instead of
V. destructor
causing an increase in DWV virulence, we hypothesize that direct virus inoculation, such as that mediated by a vector, quickly eliminates the most virulent honeybee viruses resulting in an association with less virulent viruses such as DWV.
Funder
Australian Research Council
Subject
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Environmental Science,General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine
Cited by
45 articles.
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