title: Molecular identification of chronic bee paralysis virus infection in Apis mellifera colonies in Japan.
abstract: Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) infection causes chronic paralysis and loss of workers in honey bee colonies around the world. Although CBPV shows a worldwide distribution, it had not been molecularly detected in Japan. Our investigation of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana japonica colonies with RT-PCR has revealed CBPV infection in A. mellifera but not A. c. japonica colonies in Japan. The prevalence of CBPV is low compared with that of other viruses: deformed wing virus (DWV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), Israel acute paralysis virus (IAPV), and sac brood virus (SBV), previously reported in Japan. Because of its low prevalence (5.6%) in A. mellifera colonies, the incidence of colony losses by CBPV infection must be sporadic in Japan. The presence of the (-) strand RNA in dying workers suggests that CBPV infection and replication may contribute to their symptoms. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates a geographic separation of Japanese isolates from European, Uruguayan, and mainland US isolates. The lack of major exchange of honey bees between Europe/mainland US and Japan for the recent 26 years (1985-2010) may have resulted in the geographic separation of Japanese CBPV isolates.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. morimoto-tomomi@api3838.co.jp
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshiyama
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Bu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tatsuhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kadowaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins