Exploring the Impact of the Antiviral Drug Ribavirin on RNA Viruses in Honey Bees and the Presence of RNA Viruses in Bees in Brazil
Open Access
- Author:
- Freiberg, Michael Andrew Thompson
- Area of Honors:
- Elective Area of Honors - Entomology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Diana Lynn Cox Foster, Thesis Supervisor
Diana Lynn Cox Foster, Thesis Honors Advisor
Edwin George Rajotte, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- honey bee
Apis mellifera
ribavirin
Deformed wing virus
Sacbrood virus
Black queen cell virus
Brazil
stingless bee - Abstract:
- Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., are essential pollinators worldwide and have an enormous economic impact. Unfortunately, however, honey bee health is declining. Honey bee viruses represent a significant threat to honey bee health and are associated with a variety of pathologies such as dead brood, deformed wings, and general colony mortality. Several viruses have even been associated with the recent mass die-off of honey bees reported in North America called Colony Collapse Disorder. Despite the threat posed by honey bee viruses, there are no chemotherapeutic agents currently in use to treat these viruses and so treatment remains limited to management techniques which are largely ineffective. Beekeepers are thus often forced to destroy infected colonies in order to prevent the spread of viral diseases. I explored the broad-spectrum antiviral drug ribavirin for its potential as an antiviral treatment in honey bees. I present evidence that ribavirin was active against Deformed wing virus (DWV), Black queen cell virus (BQCV), and Sacbrood virus (SBV). I also explored the mutagenic effect of ribavirin on viral genomes. Although further study is required to determine if ribavirin is safe and can improve colony survival, this study serves as an important step in the development of an antiviral treatment for viral infections in honey bees and may also provide insight into the ecology and epidemiology of these viruses. In addition to this study on ribavirin, I explored the prevalence of honey bee viruses in Brazil, both in honey bees and native stingless bees (Apidae; Meliponini). In North America, honey bee viruses have been found in native bees such as the bumble bees (Apidae; Bombus) where they have been shown to cause disease. Transmission can occur through pollen between honey bees and native bees if both species are foraging on the same flowers. The potential for this cross-species transmission poses a health risk to native bees which are likely foraging on the same flowers as infected honey bees. I surveyed honey bee colonies and stingless bee colonies on the campus of the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil and present the first evidence of SBV in colonies in Brazil; however, I found no evidence of honey bee viruses infecting stingless bees even in those with colonies near infected honey bees.