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Deformed wing virus associated with Tropilaelaps mercedesae infesting European honey bees (Apis mellifera)

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Abstract

Mites in the genus Tropilaelaps (Acari: Laelapidae) are ectoparasites of the brood of honey bees (Apis spp.). Different Tropilaelaps subspecies were originally described from Apis dorsata, but a host switch occurred to the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, for which infestations can rapidly lead to colony death. Tropilaelaps is hence considered more dangerous to A. mellifera than the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Honey bees are also infected by many different viruses, some of them associated with and vectored by V. destructor. In recent years, deformed wing virus (DWV) has become the most prevalent virus infection in honey bees associated with V. destructor. DWV is distributed world-wide, and found wherever the Varroa mite is found, although low levels of the virus can also be found in Varroa free colonies. The Varroa mite transmits viral particles when feeding on the haemolymph of pupae or adult bees. Both the Tropilaelaps mite and the Varroa mite feed on honey bee brood, but no observations of DWV in Tropilaelaps have so far been reported. In this study, quantitative real-time RT-PCR was used to show the presence of DWV in infested brood and Tropilaelaps mercedesae mites collected in China, and to demonstrate a close quantitative association between mite-infested pupae of A. mellifera and DWV infections. Phylogenetic analysis of the DWV sequences recovered from matching pupae and mites revealed considerable DWV sequence heterogeneity and polymorphism. These polymorphisms appeared to be associated with the individual brood cell, rather than with a particular host.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Karin Ullman at the Swedish National Veterinary Institute for the sequencing services and Dr. Anna Lundhagen for valuable comments on the manuscript. This research was funded by STREP grant #0022568 from the European Commission (Directorate E) and by travel support to IF and SW from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden

    Eva Forsgren, Joachim R. de Miranda & Ingemar Fries

  2. School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland

    Joachim R. de Miranda

  3. The National Veterinary Institute, Ulls väg 2 B, 75189, Uppsala, Sweden

    Mats Isaksson

  4. Institute of Apiculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xian Shan, 10000, Beijing, China

    Shi Wei

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  1. Eva Forsgren
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  2. Joachim R. de Miranda
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  3. Mats Isaksson
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  4. Shi Wei
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  5. Ingemar Fries
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Correspondence to Eva Forsgren.

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Forsgren, E., de Miranda, J.R., Isaksson, M. et al. Deformed wing virus associated with Tropilaelaps mercedesae infesting European honey bees (Apis mellifera). Exp Appl Acarol 47, 87–97 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9204-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9204-4

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