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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Bee Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409459
Research Project: Managing Honey Bees Against Disease and Colony Stress

Location: Bee Research Laboratory

Title: Host switch by honey bee parasitic mites leads to symbiont diversification

Author
item HUANG, QIANG - Jiangxi Agricultural University
item EVANS, JAY - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: iScience
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2023
Publication Date: 1/25/2024
Citation: Huang, Qiang, Evans, Jay 2024. Host switch by honey bee parasitic mites leads to symbiont diversification. iScience. 203:Article e108068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2024.108068.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2024.108068

Interpretive Summary: Varroa mites are the primary threat to honey bees worldwide. Understanding the microbes carried by these mites can lead to novel mite control and improved honey bee health. Similarly, understanding honey bee microbes that are carried by varroa can inform efforts to reduce the roles of mites as disease vectors. Here we show a distinct set of bacteria carried by varroa found with their native host, Apis cerana, and the world wild pollinator, Apis mellifera. Bacteria found associated with Varroa in Asia might be exploited as control agents for these mites worldwide, offering another tool for mite control

Technical Abstract: Host-parasite co-evolution is a reciprocal genetic change; however, the parasite may switch to a novel host deviating from conventional co-evolution. Varroa destructor is a native parasite of the honey bee Apis cerana, and the mite has established infestation in another honey bee, Apis mellifera, causing colony failure. When mites switched to the novel host, they formed a distinct population from mites remaining on the native host. Consequently, this led to divergence in the microbiota associated with mites in two host populations. The microbes were conserved at the species level reflected by alpha diversity, with substantial relative abundance variance. Microbes found in mites were distinct from the bee microbiota and were mostly pathogenic with antibiotic resistance, while a few bacterial taxa were previously found in honey bees, including Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These symbionts may transfer between the mites and honey bees.