Epidemiological Study and Phylogenetic analysis of Common Pathogenic Viruses of Honeybee in Apiaries of Iran.

Several agents such as bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses can infect honey bees in apiculture. Viruses are one of the most important threats to the health of honeybees. The aim of this research was to diagnose common honeybee pathogenic viruses, including Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV), Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV, Deformed Wing Defect (DWV), Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV), and Sacbrood Virus (SBV) in apiaries across Iran. From Autumn to Winter 2022, honey bee samples were randomly collected from 31 provinces across the country. After samples preparation and RNA extraction, the target fragments were amplified using the RT-PCR method. Desired standard viruses and distilled water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The PCR products were sequenced and compared with the Genbank database. Results showed that, out of 274 samples collected from apiaries, 21 (7.66%), 21 (7.66%), 11 (4.01%), 247 (90.15%), 31 (11.1%) and 91 (33.21%) were positive for ABPV, BQCV, CBPV, DWV, KBV and SBV, respectively. The highest level of infection was related to DWV and SBV, while the lowest level of infection was related to CBPV. All provinces were infected with at least one virus, and in some, all the studied viruses were detected in apiaries. Sequencing results confirmed the RT-PCR findings. Phylogenetic analysis showed several mutations in the sequences of all studied viruses. The presence of viral infections in the country's apiaries indicates that viral diseases are a significant concern and require targeted management strategies for prevention.