Deformed wing virus type a and b in managed honeybee colonies of Argentina

QUINTANA, S.; SGUAZZA, G.; REYNALDI, F.J.; DI GERÓNIMO, V.; BRAVI, M.E.; EGUARAS, M.; BRASESCO, C.; GENCHI GARCÍA, M.L.; FARGNOLI, L.; MAGGI, M.

BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2021 vol. 111 p. 100 - 110

0007-4853

Apis mellifera is infected by more than 24 virus species worldwide, mainly positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses of the Dicistroviridae and Iflaviridae families. Among the virusesthat infect honey bees, Deformed wing virus is the most prevalent and is present as three mastervariants DWV-A, B, and C. Given that the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor vectorsthese virus variants, recombination events between them are expected, and variants andtheir recombinants can co-exist in mites and honeybees at the same time. In this study, wedetect, through RT-qPCR, the presence of DWV-A and B in the same samples of adultbees from colonies of Argentina. Total RNA was extracted from pools of ten adult beesfrom 45 apiaries distributed across the main beekeeping Provinces of Argentina (BuenosAires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Río Negro, and Mendoza); then RT-qPCR reactionswere performed to detect DWV-A and B, with specific primer pairs. After the amplifications,PCR products (204 and 660 bp amplicons for DWV-B, and ∼250 bp for DWV-A)were purified and sequenced to verify that they corresponded to reported sequences, analyzingthem using the Blast software. Of the 45 samples analyzed by RT-qPCR, over 90% wereinfected with DWV-A and 47% were also positive for DWV-B, where it was found in highprevalence specifically in colonies of A. mellifera of the Buenos Aires Province. Future studieswill determine the impact of this type of the virus and its ability to recombine with the otherDWV types in the apiaries of our country.