New evidence that deformed wing virus and black queen cell virus are multi-host pathogens

• Published in: Journal of invertebrate pathology 2012-01, Vol.109 (1), p.156-159
• Main Authors: Zhang, X., He, S.Y., Evans, J.D., Pettis, J.S., Yin, G.F., Chen, Y.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal productions; Animals; Animals, Wild; Apiculture; Apis dorsata; Apis florea; Apis mellifera; bee viruses; Bees - virology; Biological and medical sciences; Black queen cell virus; China; Deformed wing virus; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Viral; genetic relationships; Honey bees; Host range; Host-Pathogen Interactions; host-pathogen relationships; Insect Viruses - genetics; Insect Viruses - isolation & purification; Insect Viruses - pathogenicity; Insecta; Invertebrates; Microbiology; Phylogeny; Picornaviridae - genetics; Picornaviridae - isolation & purification; Picornaviridae - pathogenicity; Picornaviridae Infections - virology; population structure; Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains; RNA, Viral; Terrestrial animal productions; Virology; virulence; Viruses; Wings, Animal - abnormalities; Wings, Animal - virology
• ISSN: 0022-2011; 1096-0805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2011.09.010

[Display omitted] ► We found that viruses affecting managed honey bees also attack wild bee species. ► The phylogeny showed that geographical proximity plays a role in host range expansion. ► It suggests that disease control is highly relevant for biodiversity conservation. The host-range breadth of pathogens can have important consequences for pathogens’ long term evolution and virulence, and play critical roles in the emergence and spread of the new diseases. Black queen cell virus (BQCV) and Deformed wing virus (DWV) are the two most common and prevalent viruses in European honey bees, Apis mellifera. Here we provide the evidence that BQCV and DWV infect wild species of honey bees, Apis florea and Apis dorsata. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that these viruses might have moved from A. mellifera to wild bee species and that genetic relatedness as well as the geographical proximity of host species likely play an important role in host range of the viruses. The information obtained from this present study can have important implication for understanding the population structure of bee virus as well as host-virus interactions.