Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Sacbrood virus in Varroa destructor

Sacbrood virus (SBV) is one of the most important bee infectious agents, with a high prevalence in bee populations worldwide and characterized by mortality, particularly in bee larvae. This study aimed to investigate the presence of SBV in mites collected from Varroa mite-infested hives using molecular methods and to conduct phylogenetic analysis of the identified isolate. In this context, the presence of SBV nucleic acid was investigated using the RT-PCR technique in a sample pool of 45 samples created from Varroa samples collected from 45 apiaries in the Western Mediterranean region. SBV nucleic acid has been detected in a sample pool. Furthermore, partial phylogenetic analysis of the identified SBV isolate was performed, and its genomic structures were compared with isolates identified in previous studies. Nucleotide sequence comparisons revealed differences. Therefore, a positive correlation is believed to exist between Varroa mite-infested hives and SBV infections. In conclusion, it was concluded that effective and planned Varroa mite control is necessary to reduce the incidence of SBV in apiaries. Furthermore, future research would benefit from focusing on SBV-related genetic studies to elucidate the impact of polymorphisms observed in genome sequences on the virus. Our study is the first to detect SBV in Varroa mite samples in Türkiye.