The virulent, emerging genotype B of Deformed wing virus is closely linked to overwinter honeybee worker loss.

ABSTRACT: Bees are considered to be threatened globally, with severe overwinter losses of the most important commercial pollinator, the Western honeybee, a major concern in the Northern Hemisphere. Emerging infectious diseases have risen to prominence due to their temporal correlation with colony losses. Among these is Deformed wing virus (DWV), which has been frequently linked to colony mortality. We now provide evidence of a strong statistical association between overwintering colony decline in the field and the presence of DWV genotype-B (DWV-B), a genetic variant of DWV that has recently been shown to be more virulent than the original DWV genotype-A. We link the prevalence of DWV-B directly to a quantitative measure of overwinter decline (workforce mortality) of honeybee colonies in the field.

SUBMITTER: Natsopoulou ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5507926 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature