Virus replication in the honey bee parasite, Varroa destructor

James E Damayo; Rebecca C McKee; Gabriele Buchmann; Amanda M Norton; Alyson Ashe; Emily J Remnant

doi:10.1128/jvi.01149-23

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Virus replication in the honey bee parasite, Varroa destructor

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Virus replication in the honey bee parasite, Varroa destructor

James E Damayo, Rebecca C McKee, Gabriele Buchmann, Amanda M Norton, Alyson Ashe and Emily J Remnant

Journal of Virology, Vol.97(12), pp.1-20

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01149-23

PMCID: PMC10746231

PMID: 37966226

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Abstract

honey bee viruses

antiviral siRNA

RNA interference

mite vector

virus replication

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is the leading threat to the health of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) primarily through its action as a vector of viruses. However, it is unclear which of the viruses transmitted by V. destructor actively infect and replicate in mites, which could facilitate increased transmission. To better understand the role of V. destructor as a vector, we took advantage of differences between bee and mite antiviral RNA interference pathways to identify the host specificity of replicating viruses. We used small RNA sequencing of individual V. destructor mites to examine viral small interfering RNA (vsiRNA) profiles of deformed wing virus genotypes (DWV-A and DWV-B), associated with colony declines, as well as nine other viruses present in our samples. We found active replication of six V. destructor-associated viruses, including a novel virus, Varroa destructor virus 9 (VDV-9), and replication of two honey bee-associated viruses, including both DWV-A and -B genotypes, confirming that mites are biological vectors for important bee pathogens. We show that the antiviral RNAi response can be used to define the host range of viruses in host-parasite interactions, such as honey bees and their parasites, enabling a better understanding of the role of a vector in the evolution and spread of honey bee pathogens.

Details

Title: Virus replication in the honey bee parasite, Varroa destructor
Authors: James E Damayo (Author) - The University of Sydney
Rebecca C McKee (Author) - The University of Sydney
Gabriele Buchmann (Author) - The University of Sydney
Amanda M Norton (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Academic Support Unit
Alyson Ashe (Author) - The University of Sydney
Emily J Remnant (Author) - The University of Sydney
Publication details: Journal of Virology, Vol.97(12), pp.1-20
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01149-23
ISSN: 1098-5514
PMID: 37966226; PMC10746231
Data Availability: Raw sequence reads generated from this study have been deposited at the NCBI Sequence Read Archive under the BioProject PRJNA986961 (Table S1).
Organisation Unit: Academic Support Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99982896002621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Virology

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