BROAD GEOGRAPHIC AND HOST DISTRIBUTION OF APIS MELLIFERA FILAMENTOUS VIRUS IN SOUTH AMERICAN NATIVE BEES

QUINTANA, SILVINA; FERNANDEZ DE LANDA, GREGORIO; REVAINERA, PABLO DAMIAN; MEROI, FACUNDO ARCERITO; PORRINI, LEONARDO; DI GERONIMO, VANESA; BRASESCO, CONSTANZA; PLISCHUK, SANTIAGO; EGUARAS, MARTIN; MAGGI, MATIAS DANIEL

JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL SCIENCE

RESEARCH INST POMOLOGY FLORICULTURE

Año: 2019 vol. 63

1643-4439

Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) is a large double stranded DNA virus of honeybees and its prevalence and relationship with other parasites is poorly known. Samplesconsisted of fifty-one adult bees belonging to eight native species collected usingentomological nets in six provinces of Argentina, from 2009 to 2018. Total genomic DNAwas extracted from individual bees and a 551 bp fragment of the Bro-N gene of AmFVwas amplified by qPCR. In the present work we have reported for the first time both the presence and the wide geographic distribution of AmFV in Argentinian species ofnative bees. This is the first report of the presence of this virus associated with Xylocopaatamisquensis, X. augusti, X. frontalis, X. spendidula, Bombus pauloensis and Peponapisfervens. Detecting pathogens that could threaten native bee health is of outmostimportance to generate both conservation and management strategies.