PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
European foulbrood (EFB) is a prevalent disease in the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) in the United States, which can lead to colony decline and collapse. The bacterial components of EFB are well-studied, but the diversity of viral infections within infected colonies has not been explored. In this study, we use meta-transcriptomics sequencing of 12 honey bee hives, symptomatic (+, n = 6) and asymptomatic (-, n = 6) for EFB, to investigate viral infection associated with the disease. We assembled 41 viral genomes, belonging to three families (Iflaviridae, Dicistroviridae, and Sinhaliviridae), all previously reported in honey bees, including Lake Sinai virus, deformed wing virus, sacbrood virus, Black queen cell virus, and Israeli acute paralysis virus. In colonies with severe EFB, we observed a higher occurrence of viral genomes (34 genomes) in contrast to fewer recovered from healthy colonies (seven genomes) and a complete absence of Dicistroviridae genomes.We observed specific Lake Sinai virus clades associated exclusively with EFB + or EFB - colonies, in addition to EFB-afflicted colonies that exhibited an increase in relative abundance of sacbrood viruses. Multivariate analyses highlighted that a combination of site and EFB disease status influenced RNA virome composition, while EFB status alone did not significantly impact it, presenting a challenge for comparisons between colonies kept in different yards. These findings contribute to the understanding of viral dynamics in honey bee colonies compromised by EFB and underscore the need for future investigations to consider viral composition when investigating EFB.IMPORTANCEThis study on the viromes of honey bee colonies affected by European foulbrood (EFB) sheds light on the dynamics of viral populations in bee colonies in the context of a prevalent bacterial brood disease. The identification of distinct Lake Sinai virus and sacbrood virus clades associated with colonies affected by severe EFB suggests a potential connection between viral composition and disease status, emphasizing the need for further investigation into the role of viruses during EFB infection. The observed increase in sacbrood viruses during EFB infection suggests a potential viral dysbiosis, with potential implications for honey bee brood health. These findings contribute valuable insights related to beekeeping practices, offering a foundation for future research aimed at understanding and mitigating the impact of bacterial and viral infection in commercial honey bee operations and the management of EFB.
摘要：
欧洲蜜蜂（EFB）是美国欧洲蜜蜂（Apismellifera）中的一种流行疾病，这可能导致殖民地的衰落和崩溃。对EFB的细菌成分进行了充分的研究，但是感染菌落内病毒感染的多样性尚未被探索。在这项研究中,我们使用12个蜜蜂蜂巢的元转录组学测序，症状（+，n=6）和无症状（-，n=6）对于EFB，调查与疾病相关的病毒感染。我们组装了41个病毒基因组,属于三个家族(伊夫病毒科，逆生病毒科,和Sinhaliviridae），所有以前报道的蜜蜂，包括西奈湖病毒,畸形的翅膀病毒,sambrood病毒，黑皇后细胞病毒,和以色列急性瘫痪病毒。在患有严重EFB的菌落中，我们观察到病毒基因组(34个基因组)的发生率较高,而从健康菌落中回收的病毒基因组(7个基因组)较少,并且完全不存在双壳病毒科基因组.我们观察到特定的西奈湖病毒进化枝与EFB+或EFB-菌落相关，除了受EFB影响的菌落外，这些菌落表现出相对丰度的增加。多变量分析强调，位点和EFB疾病状态的组合影响RNA病毒组成，虽然EFB状态本身并没有显着影响它，为不同院子里的殖民地之间的比较提出了挑战。这些发现有助于了解受EFB损害的蜜蜂菌落中的病毒动力学，并强调在研究EFB时需要进行未来的研究以考虑病毒组成。重要意义这项关于受欧洲细菌育种病（EFB）影响的蜜蜂菌落病毒系的研究揭示了在流行的细菌性育种病的背景下蜜蜂菌落中病毒种群的动态。与受严重EFB影响的菌落相关的不同西奈湖病毒和sambrood病毒进化枝的鉴定表明病毒组成与疾病状态之间存在潜在的联系。强调需要进一步研究病毒在EFB感染过程中的作用。在EFB感染期间观察到的sambrod病毒的增加表明潜在的病毒生态失调，对蜜蜂育苗健康有潜在影响。这些发现为养蜂实践提供了宝贵的见解，为未来的研究奠定了基础，旨在了解和减轻细菌和病毒感染对商业蜜蜂运营和EFB管理的影响。
