U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Bee Research Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Disease Diagnosis Service
                    Varroacide Registration
                        Varroacide Registration
                                    Oxalic Acid FAQ'sSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Bee Research Laboratory Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            DE MIRANDA, JOACHIM - Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciencesitem
                                            CORNMAN, ROBERT - Non ARS Employeeitem
                                            Evans, Jayitem
                                            HADDAD, NIZAR - National Center For Agricultural Research And Extension (NCARTT)item
                                            NEUMANN, PETER - University Of Bernitem
                                            GAUTHIER, LAURENT - Agroscope
  Submitted to: Viruses
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 1/28/2017
                                    Publication  Date: 10/20/2015
                                    Citation: De Miranda, J., Cornman, R.S., Evans, J.D., Haddad, N., Neumann, P., Gauthier, L. 2015. Genome characterization, prevalence and distribution of a Macula-like virus from Apis mellifera and Varroa destructor. Viruses. 7:3586-3602.Interpretive Summary: Honey bees faces numerous parasites and pathogens, but the mite Varroa destructor is the primary threat to bee health. Varroa mites harbor viruses that might affect their own health as well as the health of their bee hosts. This paper describes one such virus, discovered in both Europe and the U.S. via RNA sequencing. By characterizing the genetic traits of this virus we intend to determine it’s interaction with bees, affects on bee health, and possible use as an agent for controlling Varroa mites.  These results will be used by researchers and regulators in order to determine and act on traits of this virus in order to improve bee health.
                                Technical Abstract: Numerous viruses have been detected in honeybees, which can be roughly divided into 14 unique and distinct species-complexes, each with one or more strains or sub-species. Here we present the initial characterization of an entirely new virus species-complex discovered in honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) and varroa mite (Varroa destructor) samples from Europe and the USA. The virus has a naturally poly-adenylated RNA genome of about 6500 nucleotides with a genome organization and sequence similarity closely related to that of the Tymoviridae (Tymovirales; Tymoviridae), a predominantly plant-infecting virus family. Literature and laboratory analyses indicated that the virus had not been previously described. The virus is very common in French apiaries, mirroring the results from an extensive Belgian survey. However, it could not be detected in equally extensive bee disease surveys in Sweden and Norway. The virus appears to be closely linked to varroa, with the highest prevalence and titers found in varroa samples and a clear seasonal distribution peaking in autumn, coinciding with the natural varroa population development. Its primary host may therefore be Varroa destructor, rather than honeybees, and the tentative name of Varroa destructor Macula-like virus (VdMLV) is proposed. A second, distantly related Tymoviridae-like virus was also discovered.
Keywords:  Honey bee, virus, pollination


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov