Open Access
Research (Published online: 15-05-2023)
15. First molecular detection of the presence of honey bee viruses in insects, Varroa destructor mites, and pollinated plants in an isolated region of Armenia
Hranush Arzumanyan, Hranush Avagyan, Henry Voskanyan, Liana Simonyan, Jon Simonyan, Zara Semirjyan, and Zaven Karalyan
Veterinary World, 16(5): 1029-1034

Hranush Arzumanyan: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Virology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia.
Hranush Avagyan: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Virology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia; Experimental Laboratory, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia.
Henry Voskanyan: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Virology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia; Scientific Center for Risks Assessment and Analysis in Food Safety Area, CJCS, Yerevan, Armenia.
Liana Simonyan: Scientific Center for Risks Assessment and Analysis in Food Safety Area, CJCS, Yerevan, Armenia.
Jon Simonyan: Scientific Center for Risks Assessment and Analysis in Food Safety Area, CJCS, Yerevan, Armenia.
Zara Semirjyan: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Virology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia; Experimental Laboratory, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia.
Zaven Karalyan: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Virology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia; Department of Medical Biology, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia.

doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.1029-1034

Article history: Received: 10-01-2023, Accepted: 12-04-2023, Published online: 15-05-2023

Corresponding authors: Hranush Avagyan

E-mail: a.avagian@yahoo.com

Citation: Arzumanyan H, Avagyan H, Voskanyan H, Simonyan L, Simonyan J, Semirjyan Z, and Karalyan Z (2023) First molecular detection of the presence of honey bee viruses in insects, Varroa destructor mites, and pollinated plants in an isolated region of Armenia, Veterinary World, 16(5): 1029-1034.
Abstract

Background and Aim: Recently, viral diseases of honey bees (Apis mellifera) have presented an increasing threat to beekeeping. This study aimed to examine the presence of honey bee viruses in Apis and non-Apis bee species, the mite Varroa destructor, and pollinated plants in Armenia.

Materials and Methods: Sampling was performed in Tavush Province, in the northeast of the Republic of Armenia, from August to November 2019. Overall, 200 A. mellifera bees, 50 V. destructor mites, and 20 wasps were collected (corresponding to three bees, five mites, and 2–11 wasps in each investigated sample) and homogenized for RNA isolation and detection of viruses. Ten pollinated plants were taken from each plant, and 2 g of each sample was used for homogenization. In each investigated case Apis mellifera, Varroa destructor, Vespula germanica and plants received percentages of the virus presence.

Results: Six important honey bee viruses (acute bee paralysis virus [ABPV], deformed wing virus [DWV], A. mellifera norovirus [ANV], Lake Sinai virus-2 [LSV-2], Big Sioux River virus [BSRV], and A. mellifera filamentous virus [AmFV]) were detected in samples by polymerase chain reaction. Our results showed that DWV, ANV, and ABPV were the most common viruses in honey bees. All viruses were detected in wasps, but LSV-2 and ANV were present in almost all samples.

Conclusion: Our results showed that almost all viruses were present in V. destructor. Although ANV is very common in honey bees, it did not appear in any mite samples. Our study indicates that viruses typically associated with honey bees were also actively infecting wasps. Our data suggest that the survival of viruses in plants can be an important source of seasonal transmission of viruses to bees. In addition, pollinated plants can potentially serve as reservoirs for honey bee viruses.

Keywords: Apis mellifera, honey bee virus, polymerase chain reaction assay, pollinated plants, Varroa destructor.