Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt

de Miranda, JR; Brettell, Laura; Chejanovsky, N; Childers, AK; Dalmon, A; Deboutte, W; de Graaf, DC; Doublet, V; Gebremedhn, H; Genersch, E; Gisder, S; Granberg, F; Haddad, NJ; Kaden, R; Manley, R; Matthijnssens, J; Meeus, I; Migdadi, H; Milbrath, MO; Mondet, F; Remnant, EJ; Roberts, JMK; Ryabov, EV; Sela, N; Smagghe, G; Somanathan, H; Wilfert, L; Wright, ON; Martin, SJ; Ball, BV

Abstract

In 1977, a sample of diseased adult honeybees (Apis mellifera) from Egypt was found to contain large amounts of a previously unknown virus, Egypt bee virus, which was subsequently shown to be serologically related to deformed wing virus (DWV). By sequencing the original isolate, we demonstrate that Egypt bee virus is in fact a fourth unique, major variant of DWV (DWV-D): more closely related to DWV-C than to either DWV-A or DWV-B. DWV-A and DWV-B are the most common DWV variants worldwide due to their close relationship and transmission by Varroa destructor. However, we could not find any trace of DWV-D in several hundred RNA sequencing libraries from a worldwide selection of honeybee, varroa and bumblebee samples. This means that DWV-D has either become extinct, been replaced by other DWV variants better adapted to varroa-mediated transmission, or persists only in a narrow geographic or host range, isolated from common bee and beekeeping trade routes.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 31, 2021
• Publication Date: Jan 15, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jan 17, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2022
• Journal: Virology Journal
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-422X
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 12
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-022-01740-2
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-022-01740-2
• Related Public URLs: http://www.virologyj.com/
• Additional Information: Additional Information : ** From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications Router ** Licence for this article: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ **Journal IDs: eissn 1743-422X **Article IDs: publisher-id: s12985-022-01740-2; manuscript: 1740 **History: collection 12-2022; online 15-01-2022; published 15-01-2022; registration 04-01-2022; accepted 31-12-2021; submitted 04-08-2021; Funders : EU-STREP;EU-COST-Action FA0803;CB Dennis Foundation;EU FP7;USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA);United States Agency for International Development (USAID);Australian & Pacific Science Foundation;Marie Bashir Institute;Hort Innovation;Biotechnology and Biosciences Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM);Research Foundation–Flanders;AgriFutures Australia;FORMAS;svenska forskningsrådet formas;australia and pacific science foundation;marie bashir institute, university of sydney;hort innovation;biotechnology and biological sciences research council;agrifutures australia;Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas; Projects : Understanding the impact of agri-environment schemes on emerging infectious diseases in pollinators;Structure-based drug design against a biosecurity pathogen;219-2009-176;APSF15-02;seed funding 2014;PH15001;BB/N000625/1;BB/M009122/1;PRJ-554 8540;2016-01356; Grant Number: FOOD-CT-2006-022568; Grant Number: STSM grants 4184 & 4358; Grant Number: FORMAS grants 219-2009-176 and 2016-01356; Grant Number: FP7-KBBE.2013.1.3-02; Grant Number: 2017-06481; Grant Number: M29-075, M32-02 and M32-035; Grant Number: APSF15-02; Grant Number: Seed funding 2014; Grant Number: PH15001; Grant Number: BB/N000625/1; Grant Number: BB/M009122/1; Grant Number: PRJ-8540