Presence of six bee viruses in Apis mellifera L. populations in Wallonia (Belgium)

PRESENCE OF SIX BEE VIRUSES lN APIS MELLIFERA L

.

POPULATIONS lN WALLONIA (BELGIUM)

1.Mignon, C.Snoeck, B. Kim Nguyen, E. Haubruge

Department of functional and evolutionary entomology, Gembloux Agricultural University, Gembloux,Belgium

A s

u

rvey of s

i

x

b

ee vir

u

ses was co

ndu

c

t

e

d b

y

R

T

-

P

CR t

e

chn

i

qu

es. S

amples

o

f

a

dult b

ees we

r

e co

ll

ec

t

ed

fr

o

m 3

6 w

allo

o

n api

ari

e

s

in autumn

2

006. ln

each apiary

,

two colonies were sa

mp

led.

Th

e v

i

r

u

s

d

etecti

on

tec

hnique u

se

d

was

R

T

-P

C

R

. The tec

hn

i

qu

e was

pr

eli

m

i

n

ary

a

d

a

p

te

d to

e

ach

v

iru

s

b

y

chan

g

ing

so

rn

e

pol

y

m

er

a

se c

h

ai

n r

e

a

ct

ion param

e

ter

s

. Th

e se

qu

e

ncing of

in

t

eres

tin

g

f

r

a

g

m

e

nt

s

m

a

d

e i

t po

ss

ibl

e

to

va

lidat

e

th

e

method onl

y f

or four

v

i

r

u

ses

.

V

i

r

u

s prese

n

ce, n

u

m

b

er of p

h

o

r

e

ti

c v

ar

ro

a

s a

nd

wi

nter mortali

ty

we

r

e linke

d

up through statistical analyses

.

ln

adult b

ees,

bl

ac

k

q

u

e

en

ce

ll

v

iru

s (

BQ

CV) was fo

und

7

5

% of

th

e

api

ar

ie

s, s

acbrood

v

irus

(

SBV) and

chronic b

ee

par

a

l

y

si

s v

iru

s (

CBP

V)

69

%

of th

e

api

ar

ies

,

d

e

for

r

ned wing

vi

r

us (

D

WV)

i

n 64%

o

f t

h

e ap

i

aries,

K

as

hm

i

r b

ee vir

u

s (

KB

V)

in 47

%

of the

a

pi

a

r

ies

a

nd a

cu

te

b

ee

p

a

r

alysis vir

u

s (A

BP

V)

in

8%

o

f t

h

e a

p

ia

ri

es.

Th

e s

ix

v

i

r

u

s es we

r

e

found

i

n

Wa

llonia

m

o

s

t

ly w

ith

o

ut

c

liriic

a

l

s

ign

s

and multiple

infe

c

tio

ns are fre

qu

e

n

t

.

No

ne of the t

e

sted api

ar

i

e

s

wa

s free of viru

se

s.

M

or

eove

r

,

the n

umb

er of v

i

r

u

s es pe

r

co

l

o

n

y

i

s h

i

g

hl

y

cor

re

l

a

ted

w

ith the

n

umb

er of var

r

oas

. T

here

i

s a signif

i

cant c

o

rre

lat

ion

b

e

t

w

een the numb

e

r of

v

iru

s es

and mo

tta

lit

y,

as weI

l

as

b

e

t

wee

n th

e

numb

e

r

of v

a

rr

oas a

n

d wint

e

r

mor

ta

lit

y

.

.

POSIT

ACIOS

PARA

S:

(ACARI

se

rio

us

m

itici

des

p

a

rasi

te

.

b

e

ek

ee

a

r

e

f

req

para

siti

scienti

fi

th

e

p

osi