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Outputs (27)

Microbial diversity in stingless bee gut is linked to host wing size and influenced by the environment (2023)
Journal Article
Liu, H., Hall, M. A., Brettell, L. E., Wang, J., Halcroft, M., Nacko, S., …Singh, B. K. (2023). Microbial diversity in stingless bee gut is linked to host wing size and influenced by the environment. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 198, 107909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2023.107909

Stingless bees are important social corbiculate bees, fulfilling critical pollination roles in many ecosystems. However, their gut microbiota, particularly the fungal communities associated with them, remains inadequately characterised. This knowledg... Read More about Microbial diversity in stingless bee gut is linked to host wing size and influenced by the environment.

Co-flowering plants support diverse pollinator populations and facilitate pollinator visitation to sweet cherry crops (2022)
Journal Article
Gilpin, A., O'Brien, C., Kobel, C., E. Brettell, L., M. Cook, J., & A. Power, S. (2022). Co-flowering plants support diverse pollinator populations and facilitate pollinator visitation to sweet cherry crops. Basic and Applied Ecology, 63, 36-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2022.05.005

Many food crops depend on animal pollination to set fruit. In light of pollinator declines there is growing recognition of the need for agro-ecosystems that can sustain wild pollinator populations, ensuring fruit production and pollinator conservatio... Read More about Co-flowering plants support diverse pollinator populations and facilitate pollinator visitation to sweet cherry crops.

Vertical and Horizontal Transmission of Cell Fusing Agent Virus in Aedes aegypti (2022)
Journal Article
Logan, R. A. E., Quek, S., Muthoni, J. N., von Eicken, A., Brettell, L. E., Anderson, E. R., …Patterson, E. I. (2022). Vertical and Horizontal Transmission of Cell Fusing Agent Virus in Aedes aegypti. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88(18), https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01062-22

Cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) is an insect-specific flavivirus (ISF) found in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. ISFs have demonstrated the ability to modulate the infection or transmission of arboviruses such as dengue, West Nile, and Zika viruses. It is th... Read More about Vertical and Horizontal Transmission of Cell Fusing Agent Virus in Aedes aegypti.

Co-Flowering Species Richness Increases Pollinator Visitation to Apple Flowers (2022)
Journal Article
Gilpin, A., Kobel, C., E. Brettell, L., O’Brien, C., M. Cook, J., & A. Power, S. (2022). Co-Flowering Species Richness Increases Pollinator Visitation to Apple Flowers. #Journal not on list, 12(8), https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12081246

Co-flowering plants can experience an array of interactions, ranging from facilitation to competition, the direction and strength of which are often dependent on the relative abundance and diversity of the plant species involved and the foraging beha... Read More about Co-Flowering Species Richness Increases Pollinator Visitation to Apple Flowers.

The use of trap-nests to support crop pollinators in agricultural areas (2022)
Journal Article
Gilpin, A., Brettell, L. E., Cook, J. M., & Power, S. A. (2022). The use of trap-nests to support crop pollinators in agricultural areas. Ecological Research, 37(6), 768-779. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12348

Supporting and promoting invertebrate diversity within agricultural ecosystems has numerous benefits, including the provision of pollination services. Many insects, including wild pollinators, require floral resources for food and structural habitat... Read More about The use of trap-nests to support crop pollinators in agricultural areas.

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 (2022)
Journal Article
de Miranda, J., Brettell, L., Chejanovsky, N., Childers, A., Dalmon, A., Deboutte, W., …Ball, B. (2022). 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. Virology Journal, 19(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-022-01740-2

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 seq... Read More about 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.

Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens (2021)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Martin, S., Riegler, M., & Cook, J. (2021). Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 186, 107670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107670

Island ecosystems, which often contain undescribed insects and small populations of single island endemics, are at risk from diverse threats. The spread of pathogens is a major factor affecting not just pollinator species themselves, but also posing... Read More about Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens.

Tephritid fruit flies have a large diversity of co-occurring RNA viruses (2021)
Journal Article
Sharpe, S. R., Morrow, J. L., Brettell, L. E., Shearman, D. C., Stuart Gilchrist, A., Cook, J. M., & Riegler, M. (2021). Tephritid fruit flies have a large diversity of co-occurring RNA viruses. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 186, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107569

Tephritid fruit flies are amongst the most devastating pests of horticulture, and Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs have been developed for their control. Their interactions with viruses are still mostly unexplored, yet, viruses may negatively... Read More about Tephritid fruit flies have a large diversity of co-occurring RNA viruses.

Temporal changes in the microbiome of stingless bee foragers following colony relocation (2020)
Journal Article
A Hall, M., E Brettell, L., Liu, H., Nacko, S., Spooner-Hart, R., Riegler, M., & M Cook, J. (2021). Temporal changes in the microbiome of stingless bee foragers following colony relocation. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 97(1), https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa236

Maintaining beneficial interactions with microbial symbionts is vital for animal health. Yet, for social insects, the stability of microbial associations within and between cohorts is largely unknown. We investigated temporal changes in the microbiom... Read More about Temporal changes in the microbiome of stingless bee foragers following colony relocation.

RNAseq of Deformed wing virus and other honey bee-associated viruses in eight insect taxa with or without Varroa infestation (2020)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2020). RNAseq of Deformed wing virus and other honey bee-associated viruses in eight insect taxa with or without Varroa infestation. Viruses, 12(11), e1229. https://doi.org/10.3390/v12111229

The global spread of a parasitic mite (Varroa destructor) has resulted in Deformed wing virus (DWV), a previously rare pathogen, now dominating the viromes in honey bees and contributing to large-scale honey bee colony losses. DWV can be found in div... Read More about RNAseq of Deformed wing virus and other honey bee-associated viruses in eight insect taxa with or without Varroa infestation.

Linking the Phyllosphere Microbiome to Plant Health (2020)
Journal Article
Liu, H., Brettell, L., & Singh, B. (2020). Linking the Phyllosphere Microbiome to Plant Health. Trends in Plant Science, 25(9), 841-844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.06.003

The phyllosphere harbors diverse microbial communities that influence ecosystem functioning. Emerging evidence suggests that plants impaired in genetic networks harbor an altered microbiome and develop dysbiosis in the phyllosphere, which pinpoints p... Read More about Linking the Phyllosphere Microbiome to Plant Health.

Occurrence of honey bee-associated pathogens in Varroa-free pollinator communities (2020)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Riegler, M., O'Brien, C., & Cook, J. M. (2020). Occurrence of honey bee-associated pathogens in Varroa-free pollinator communities. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 171, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2020.107344

Australia remains the last significant land mass free of Varroa, a parasitic mite which has caused dramatic honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony losses across the globe, due to its association with the pathogenic deformed wing virus (DWV). As such, Aust... Read More about Occurrence of honey bee-associated pathogens in Varroa-free pollinator communities.

Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Hawkins, G., Brettell, L., Reece, N., Correia-Oliveira, M., & Allsopp, M. (2020). Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations. Apidologie, 51(3), 369-381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-019-00721-9

Globalization has facilitated the spread of emerging pests such as the Varroa destructor mite, resulting in the near global distribution of the pest. In South African and Brazilian honey bees, mite-resistant colonies appeared within a decade; in Euro... Read More about Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations.

Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., & Brettell, L. (2019). Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects. Annual Review of Virology, 6(1), 49-69. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-virology-092818-015700

Deformed wing virus (DWV) has become the most well-known, widespread, and intensively studied insect pathogen in the world. Although DWV was previously present in honeybee populations, the arrival and global spread of a new vector, the ectoparasitic... Read More about Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects.

RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities (2019)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2019). RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities. Viruses, 11(5), 397. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11050397

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is the most abundant viral pathogen of honey bees and has been associated with large-scale colony losses. DWV and other bee-associated RNA viruses are generalists capable of infecting diverse hosts. Here we used RNAseq analy... Read More about RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities.

Plant Defense by VOC-Induced Microbial Priming (2019)
Journal Article
Liu, H., & Brettell, L. (2019). Plant Defense by VOC-Induced Microbial Priming. Trends in Plant Science, 24(3), 187-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2019.01.008

The plant holobiont extends the plant’s capacity for nutrient acquisition and stress protection. Recent studies show that under biotic stress plants can promote the acquisition of certain beneficial bacteria to their rhizosphere. Active emission of v... Read More about Plant Defense by VOC-Induced Microbial Priming.

Evidence of Varroa -mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii (2017)
Journal Article
Santamaria, J., Villalobos, E., Brettell, L., Nikaido, S., Graham, J., & Martin, S. (2017). Evidence of Varroa -mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 151, 126-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2017.11.008

The spread of disease between closely related species is often times exacerbated by a vector. In this study, the Varroa mite, a pest exclusive to honeybees, has been shown to amplify the natural levels of the Deformed Wing virus, resulting in a spill... Read More about Evidence of Varroa -mediated deformed wing virus spillover in Hawaii.

Novel RNA virus genome discovered in Ghost ants (Tapinoma melanocephalum) from Hawaii (2017)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Mordecai, G., Pachori, P., & Martin, S. (2017). Novel RNA virus genome discovered in Ghost ants (Tapinoma melanocephalum) from Hawaii. Genome Announcements, 5(30), https://doi.org/10.1128/genomeA.00669-17

Here we report the full genome sequence of Milolii virus, a novel single stranded (positive sense) RNA virus discovered from Tapinoma melanocephalum ants in Hawaii. The genome is 10,475 nucleotides long encoding a polyprotein of 3304 amino acids.

Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees (2017)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., & Martin, S. (2017). Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees. Scientific reports, 7, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45953

The ecto-parasitic mite Varroa destructor has transformed the previously inconsequential Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) into the most important honey bee viral pathogen responsible for the death of millions of colonies worldwide. Naturally, DWV persists a... Read More about Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees.

A comparison of deformed wing virus in deformed and asymptomatic honey bees (2017)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Mordecai, G., Schroeder, D., Jones, I., da Silva, J., Vicente-Rubiano, M., & Martin, S. (2017). A comparison of deformed wing virus in deformed and asymptomatic honey bees. Insects, 8(1), https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8010028

Deformed wing virus (DWV) in association with Varroa destructor is currently attributed to being responsible for colony collapse in the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). The appearance of deformed individuals within an infested colony has long been... Read More about A comparison of deformed wing virus in deformed and asymptomatic honey bees.

Covert deformed wing virus infections have long-term deleterious effects on honeybee foraging and survival (2017)
Journal Article
deleterious effects on honeybee foraging and survival. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1848), 20162149. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.2149

Several studies have suggested that covert stressors can contribute to bee colony declines. Here we provide a novel case study and show using radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking technology that covert deformed wing virus (DWV) infections... Read More about Covert deformed wing virus infections have long-term deleterious effects on honeybee foraging and survival.

Moku virus : a new Iflavirus found in wasps, honey bees and Varroa (2016)
Journal Article
Mordecai, G., Brettell, L., Pachori, P., Villalobos, E., Martin, S., Jones, I., & Schroeder, D. (2016). Moku virus : a new Iflavirus found in wasps, honey bees and Varroa. Scientific reports, 6(34983), https://doi.org/10.1038/srep34983

There is an increasing global trend of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) affecting a wide range of species, including honey bees. The global epidemic of the single stranded RNA Deformed wing virus (DWV), driven by the spread of Varroa destructor ha... Read More about Moku virus : a new Iflavirus found in wasps, honey bees and Varroa.

Superinfection exclusion and the long-term survival of honey bees in Varroa-infested colonies (2015)
Journal Article
Mordecai, G. J., Brettell, L., Martin, S. J., Dixon, D., Jones, I. M., & Schroeder, D. C. (2016). Superinfection exclusion and the long-term survival of honey bees in Varroa-infested colonies. ISME Journal, 10(5), 1182-1191. https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2015.186

Over the past 50 years, many millions of European honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies have died as the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has spread around the world. Subsequent studies have indicated that the mite’s association with a group of R... Read More about Superinfection exclusion and the long-term survival of honey bees in Varroa-infested colonies.

Global honey bee viral landscape altered by a parasitic mite (2012)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Highfield, A., Brettell, L., Nikado, S., Villalobos, E., & Schoder, D. (2012). Global honey bee viral landscape altered by a parasitic mite. Science, 336(6086), 1304-1306. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1220941

Emerging diseases are among the greatest threats to honey bees. Unfortunately, where and when an emerging disease will appear are almost impossible to predict. The arrival of the parasitic Varroa mite into the Hawaiian honey bee population allowed... Read More about Global honey bee viral landscape altered by a parasitic mite.

The spread and evolution of RNA viruses among honey bees and the wider insect community with particular emphasis on deformed wing virus (DWV)
Thesis
Brettell, L. (in press). The spread and evolution of RNA viruses among honey bees and the wider insect community with particular emphasis on deformed wing virus (DWV). (Thesis). University of Salford

The honey bee is our most significant animal pollinator and is highly valued economically and culturally throughout the world. Unfortunately, over the last 30 years beekeepers across the globe have experienced significantly increased honey bee colony... Read More about The spread and evolution of RNA viruses among honey bees and the wider insect community with particular emphasis on deformed wing virus (DWV).