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Silent threat in honey bee colonies: infection dynamics and molecular epidemiological assessment of black queen cell virus in Turkey

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Abstract

Viruses can have devastating effects and cause epidemics in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. Black queen cell virus (BQCV), which is one of the most common honey bee viruses, affects queen bee larvae and their pupae. This study provides information on the dynamics of BQCV infection in honey bees, using molecular diagnostics to investigate the effects of other pathogens and seasonal patterns that are considered relevant to the epidemiology of BQCV. The results showed a relatively high prevalence of the viruses studied. The prevalence of BQCV, acute bee paralysis virus, and deformed wing virus in worker bees was found to be 90%, 62%, and 84%, respectively. The prevalence of BQCV was 58% in larvae and pupae. Furthermore, the prevalence of Nosema ceranae was 46% in worker bees. Statistical analysis showed possible combined effects of BQCV and other examined viruses in terms of infection dynamics, while BQCV did not show seasonal variation. The BQCV isolates detected in this study were placed in a phylogenetic framework using sequence data from comprehensive sampling in previous studies. The analysis suggested that the Turkish strains of BQCV clustered together with Australian and European strains and consisted of homogeneous populations that had evolved from a common ancestor. This is the first report of BQCV infection dynamics in honey bees in Turkey.

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Acknowledgments

A part of this work, including BQCV prevalence and phylogenetic analysis, was presented at the 14th National Veterinary Microbiology Congress (VETMİK 2020).

Funding

This study was funded by the Scientific Research Projects Commission of Selcuk University (SU-BAP) (Project Code: 19401138).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Selcuk, 42031, Konya, Turkey

    Oguzhan Avci

  2. Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Veterinary Control Institute, 42080, Konya, Turkey

    Mustafa Emin Oz & Muge Dogan

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Contributions

Conceptualization, investigation, and methodology: Oguzhan Avci, Mustafa Emin Oz, and Muge Dogan. Resources and funding acquisition: Oguzhan Avci. Formal analysis and data curation: Oguzhan Avci, Mustafa Emin Oz, and Muge Dogan. Writing – orginal draft preparation: Oguzhan Avci and Mustafa Emin Oz. Writing – review and editing: Oguzhan Avci and Muge Dogan. All authors read and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Oguzhan Avci.

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All procedures used in this study were implemented according to animal welfare regulations and standards. This study did not involve any legal or ethical issues for the welfare of animals before and during death, or storage.

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Avci, O., Oz, M.E. & Dogan, M. Silent threat in honey bee colonies: infection dynamics and molecular epidemiological assessment of black queen cell virus in Turkey. Arch Virol 167, 1499–1508 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-022-05458-y

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