Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

EU Omnibus proposal increases pesticide risks.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Darwin's solution: Honeybees survive mite vectors and viruses through natural selection.

Trends in parasitology·2026
Same author

From flowers to pollinators: Dietary exposure of honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees to trace elements across European fields.

Journal of hazardous materials·2026
Same author

Correction: Insect cypoviruses: advances in structural characterization, evolutionary genomics, and host interaction dynamics.

Archives of virology·2026
Same author

The honey bee triad: a comprehensive catalogue of phages in the Apis mellifera gut microbiome.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Coding-complete genome sequence of a divergent black queen cell virus strain identified from honeybees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) in Romania.

Microbiology resource announcements·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

On-site DNA Detection of Trypanosomatid Parasites and Nosema ceranae Through Alkaline Lysis Coupled to RPA/CRISPR/Cas12a System
07:46

On-site DNA Detection of Trypanosomatid Parasites and Nosema ceranae Through Alkaline Lysis Coupled to RPA/CRISPR/Cas12a System

Published on: July 18, 2025

BeeDoctor, a versatile MLPA-based diagnostic tool for screening bee viruses.

Lina De Smet1, Jorgen Ravoet, Joachim R de Miranda

  • 1Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Department of Physiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Lina.desmet@ugent.be

Plos One
|November 13, 2012
PubMed
Summary

A new multiplex assay, BeeDoctor, detects 10 honeybee viruses simultaneously. This tool aids in diagnosing viral infections, crucial for understanding honeybee decline and improving colony health.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Virus-Enriched Inoculum for Oral Infection of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
06:41

Preparation of Virus-Enriched Inoculum for Oral Infection of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Published on: August 26, 2020

Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
06:02

Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors

Published on: September 13, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

On-site DNA Detection of Trypanosomatid Parasites and Nosema ceranae Through Alkaline Lysis Coupled to RPA/CRISPR/Cas12a System
07:46

On-site DNA Detection of Trypanosomatid Parasites and Nosema ceranae Through Alkaline Lysis Coupled to RPA/CRISPR/Cas12a System

Published on: July 18, 2025

Preparation of Virus-Enriched Inoculum for Oral Infection of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
06:41

Preparation of Virus-Enriched Inoculum for Oral Infection of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Published on: August 26, 2020

Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
06:02

Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors

Published on: September 13, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Apiculture
  • Virology
  • Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

  • Global decline of managed honeybee colonies is a significant concern.
  • High pathogen loads, particularly bee viruses, are implicated in colony losses.
  • Current methods for viral load assessment require improvement for high-throughput screening.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel, multiplex assay for simultaneous detection of multiple honeybee viruses.
  • To enable selective screening for active viral replication (positive or negative RNA strands).
  • To assess the prevalence of viral infections in honeybee populations in Flanders, Belgium.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a multiplex-ligation probe dependent amplification (MLPA) assay named "BeeDoctor".
  • The assay targets 10 common honeybee viruses in a single reaction.
  • Screening of 363 apiary samples from Flanders using the "BeeDoctor" assay.

Main Results:

  • "BeeDoctor" successfully detected 10 honeybee viruses with high sensitivity and specificity.
  • Virus infections were identified in nearly 80% of the screened colonies.
  • Deformed wing virus was the most prevalent, and 26% of colonies harbored multiple virus infections.

Conclusions:

  • The "BeeDoctor" assay is an effective tool for rapid diagnosis, pathogen characterization, and epidemiological studies of honeybee viruses.
  • High prevalence of viral infections, including multiple infections, highlights a significant threat to honeybee health.
  • This assay can contribute to understanding and mitigating factors contributing to honeybee decline.