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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Preparation of Virus-Enriched Inoculum for Oral Infection of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Published on: August 26, 2020
Virus infections in Brazilian honey bees
Erica Weinstein Teixeira1, Yanping Chen, Dejair Message
1Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios, SAA-SP, Av. Prof. Manoel Cesar Ribeiro, Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil. erica@aptaregional.sp.gov.br
Abstract:
This work describes the first molecular-genetic evidence for viruses in Brazilian honey bee samples. Three different bee viruses, Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), Black queen cell virus (BQCV), and Deformed wing virus (DWV) were identified during a screening of RNAs from 1920 individual adult bees collected in a region of southeastern Brazil that has recently shown unusual bee declines. ABPV was detected in 27.1% of colony samples, while BQCV and DWV were found in 37% and 20.3%, respectively. These levels are substantially lower than the frequencies found for these viruses in surveys from other parts of the world. We also developed and validated a multiplex RT-PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of ABPV, BQCV, and DWV in Brazil.
