Deformed Wing Virus in Two Widespread Invasive Ants: Geographical Distribution, Prevalence, and Phylogeny.

ABSTRACT: Spillover of honey bee viruses have posed a significant threat to pollination services, triggering substantial effort in determining the host range of the viruses as an attempt to understand the transmission dynamics. Previous studies have reported infection of honey bee viruses in ants, raising the concern of ants serving as a reservoir host. Most of these studies, however, are restricted to a single, local ant population. We assessed the status (geographical distribution/prevalence/viral replication) and phylogenetic relationships of honey bee viruses in ants across the Asia-Pacific region, using deformed wing virus (DWV) and two widespread invasive ants, Paratrechina longicornis and Anoplolepis gracilipes, as the study system. DWV was detected in both ant species, with dif

SUBMITTER: Lin CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7696054 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature