Promiscuous feeding on multiple adult honey bee hosts amplifies the vectorial capacity of Varroa destructor.

ABSTRACT: Varroa destructor is a cosmopolitan pest and leading cause of colony loss of the European honey bee. Historically described as a competent vector of honey bee viruses, this arthropod vector is the cause of a global pandemic of Deformed wing virus, now endemic in honeybee populations in all Varroa-infested regions. Our work shows that viral spread is driven by Varroa actively switching from one adult bee to another as they feed. Assays using fluorescent microspheres were used to indicate the movement of fluids in both directions between host and vector when Varroa feed. Therefore, Varroa could be in either an infectious or naïve state dependent upon the disease status of their host. We tested this and confirmed that the relative risk of a Varroa feeding depended on their previous host's inf

SUBMITTER: Lamas ZS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9851535 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature