Silent threat in honey bee colonies: infection dynamics and molecular epidemiological assessment of black queen cell virus in Turkey

Viruses can have devastating effects and cause epidemics in honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) colonies. Black queen cell virus (BQCV), which is one of the most common honey bee viruses, affects queen bee larvae and their pupae. This study provides information on the dynamics of BQCV infection in honey be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of virology 2022-07, Vol.167 (7), p.1499-1508
Main Authors: Avci, Oguzhan, Oz, Mustafa Emin, Dogan, Muge
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apis mellifera
Bees
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Colonies
Developmental stages
Epidemiology
Infections
Infectious Diseases
Medical Microbiology
Original Article
Paralysis
Phylogeny
Seasonal variations
Statistical analysis
Strains (organisms)
Virology
Viruses
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Summary:Viruses can have devastating effects and cause epidemics in honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) colonies. Black queen cell virus (BQCV), which is one of the most common honey bee viruses, affects queen bee larvae and their pupae. This study provides information on the dynamics of BQCV infection in honey bees, using molecular diagnostics to investigate the effects of other pathogens and seasonal patterns that are considered relevant to the epidemiology of BQCV. The results showed a relatively high prevalence of the viruses studied. The prevalence of BQCV, acute bee paralysis virus, and deformed wing virus in worker bees was found to be 90%, 62%, and 84%, respectively. The prevalence of BQCV was 58% in larvae and pupae. Furthermore, the prevalence of Nosema ceranae was 46% in worker bees. Statistical analysis showed possible combined effects of BQCV and other examined viruses in terms of infection dynamics, while BQCV did not show seasonal variation. The BQCV isolates detected in this study were placed in a phylogenetic framework using sequence data from comprehensive sampling in previous studies. The analysis suggested that the Turkish strains of BQCV clustered together with Australian and European strains and consisted of homogeneous populations that had evolved from a common ancestor. This is the first report of BQCV infection dynamics in honey bees in Turkey.
ISSN:0304-8608
1432-8798
DOI:10.1007/s00705-022-05458-y