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

QUINTANA S.; FERNANDEZ DE LANDA G.; REVAINERA P.; MEROI ARCERITO F.R.; PORRINI L.; DI GERÓNIMO V.; PLISCHUK S.; EGUARAS M.; MAGGI M.

JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL SCIENCE

RESEARCH INST POMOLOGY FLORICULTURE

Año: 2019

1643-4439

Apis melliferafilamentous virus (AmFV) is a large double stranded DNA virus ofhoney bees and its prevalence and relationship with other parasitesis poorly known. Samples used in the present work consisted in 51adult bees belonging to eight native species collected usingentomological nets in six provinces of Argentina, from 2009 to 2018.Total genomic DNA was extracted from individual bees and a 551 bpfragment of the Bro-N gene of AmFV was amplified by qPCR. In thepresent work we have reported for the first time both the presenceand the wide geographic distribution of AmFV in Argentinian speciesof native bees. This is the first report of the presence of thisvirus associated to Xylocopa atamisquensis, X. augusti, X. frontalis,X. spendidula, Bombus pauloensis and Peponapis fervens. Detectingpathogens that could threaten native bee health is of outmostimportance to generate both conservation and management strategies.