A possible factor in the survival of varroa destructor-resistant honey bees (Apis mellifera)
Locke Grandér, Barbara and Forsgren, Eva and Rodrigues De Miranda, Joachim
(2014).
Increased tolerance and resistance to virus infections.
PloS one. 9
:6
, 1-7
[Journal article]
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PDF
448kB |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099998
Abstract
The honey bee ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has a world-wide distribution and inflicts more damage than all other known apicultural diseases. However, Varroa-induced colony mortality is more accurately a result of secondary virus infections vectored by the mite. This means that honey bee resistance to Varroa may include resistance or tolerance to virus infections. The aim of this study was to see if this is the case for a unique population of mite-resistant (MR) European honey bees on the island of Gotland, Sweden. This population has survived uncontrolled mite infestation for over a decade, developing specific mite-related resistance traits to do so. Using RT-qPCR techniques, we monitored late season virus infections, Varroa mite infestation and honey bee colony population dynamics in the Gotland MR population and compared this to mite-susceptible (MS) colonies in a close by apiary. From summer to autumn the deformed wing virus (DWV) titres increased similarly between the MR and MS populations, while the black queen cell virus (BQCV) and sacbrood virus (SBV) titres decreased substantially in the MR population compared to the MS population by several orders of magnitude. The MR colonies all survived the following winter with high mite infestation, high DWV infection, small colony size and low proportions of autumn brood, while the MS colonies all perished. Possible explanations for these changes in virus titres and their relevance to Varroa resistance and colony winter survival are discussed.
Authors/Creators: | Locke Grandér, Barbara and Forsgren, Eva and Rodrigues De Miranda, Joachim | ||||||
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Title: | Increased tolerance and resistance to virus infections | ||||||
Subtitle: | A possible factor in the survival of varroa destructor-resistant honey bees (Apis mellifera) | ||||||
Series/Journal: | PloS one (1932-6203) | ||||||
Year of publishing : | 2014 | ||||||
Depositing date: | 5 February 2015 | ||||||
Volume: | 9 | ||||||
Number: | 6 | ||||||
Page range: | 1-7 | ||||||
Number of Pages: | 7 | ||||||
Publisher: | Public Library of Science | ||||||
ISSN: | 1932-6203 | ||||||
Language: | English | ||||||
Publication Type: | Journal article | ||||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||||
Version: | Published version | ||||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||||
Subjects: | (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 106 Biological Sciences (Medical to be 3 and Agricultural to be 4) > Other Biological Topics (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 106 Biological Sciences (Medical to be 3 and Agricultural to be 4) > Evolutionary Biology | ||||||
Agrovoc terms: | Honey bees, Acarina | ||||||
Keywords: | Honey bees, Mites | ||||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-e-2371 | ||||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-e-2371 | ||||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 11785 | ||||||
Faculty: | NJ - Fakulteten för naturresurser och jordbruksvetenskap | ||||||
Department: | (NL, NJ) > Dept. of Ecology (S) > Dept. of Ecology | ||||||
Deposited By: | SLUpub Connector | ||||||
Deposited On: | 05 Feb 2015 09:44 | ||||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 09 Sep 2020 14:17 |
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