First detection of Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) in France, a dicistrovirus affecting honeybees (Apis mellifera).
Bee samples were collected in French apiaries that displayed severe losses and mortality during the winter (from November 2007 to March 2008). They were screened for the presence of Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) by using RT-PCR. Five out of 35 surveyed apiaries, located in two different geographical areas, were found positive. This represents the first reported detection of IAPV in France. The specificity of the PCR products was checked by sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis showed that French isolates of IAPV were closely related to a cluster including American and Australian isolates. Nevertheless, most of American isolates previously reported to be associated to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and an Israeli isolate first isolated in 2004 from dead bees were included in another cluster. Since IAPV was detected in only 14% of the affected apiaries, it was not possible to establish a causal link between IAPV and the severe winter losses that occurred.
Blanchard
Philippe
P
Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments Sophia-Antipolis, Unité Pathologie de I'Abeille, Les Templiers, Route des Chappes, BP 111, 06902 Sophia Antipolis, France. p.blanchard@afssa.fr
Schurr
Frank
F
Celle
Olivier
O
Cougoule
Nicolas
N
Drajnudel
Patrick
P
Thiéry
Richard
R
Faucon
Jean-Paul
JP
Ribière
Magali
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001516:Bees / Q000821:virology*; D005602:France; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007557:Israel; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010849:Picornaviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D012367:RNA, Viral