Widespread distribution of honey bee-associated pathogens in native bees and wasps: Trends in pathogen prevalence and co-occurrence

Kaitlin R Deutsch; Jason R Graham; Humberto F Boncristiani; Tomas Bustamante; Ashley N Mortensen; Daniel R Schmehl; Ashlyn E Wedde; Dawn L Lopez; Jay D Evans; James D Ellis

doi:10.1016/j.jip.2023.107973

Widespread distribution of honey bee-associated pathogens in native bees and wasps: Trends in pathogen prevalence and co-occurrence

J Invertebr Pathol. 2023 Sep:200:107973. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107973. Epub 2023 Jul 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Electronic address: krd59@cornell.edu.
² Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Planet Bee Foundation, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA.
³ Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Inside The Hive Media, Consulting Inc., Odenton, MD 21113, USA.
⁴ Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Independent Collaborator, Dallas, TX, USA.
⁵ Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Bisley Road, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand.
⁶ Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Bayer CropScience LP, 700 Chesterfield Pwky. W., Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA.
⁷ Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Driscoll's Global R&D, Watsonville, CA, USA.
⁸ Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, USA.
⁹ Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

PMID: 37479057
DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107973

Abstract

Pollinators have experienced significant declines in the past decade, in part due to emerging infectious diseases. Historically, studies have primarily focused on pathogens in the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera. However, recent work has demonstrated that these pathogens are shared by other pollinators and can negatively affect their health. Here, we surveyed honey bees and 15 native bee and wasp species for 13 pathogens traditionally associated with honey bees. The native bee and wasp species included 11 species not previously screened for pathogens. We found at least one honey bee-associated pathogen in 53% of native bee and wasp samples. The most widely distributed and commonly detected pathogens were the microsporidian Nosema ceranae, the bacterium Melissococcus plutonius, and the viruses deformed wing virus and black queen cell virus. The prevalence of viruses was generally higher in honey bees than in native bees and wasps. However, the prevalence of M. plutonius and the brood fungus Ascosphaera apis was significantly higher in some native bee species than in honey bees. The data also reveal novel trends in the association between co-occurring pathogens in honey bees and native bees and wasps at the pathogen community level. These results can inform the assessment of risks that native pollinator species face from pathogen stress, and indicate that many non-viral pathogens, notably M. plutonius and N. ceranae, are far more widely distributed and commonly found in native bees and wasps than previously thought.

Keywords: Honey bee; Native bees; Pathogen; Pollinator; Virus; Wasps.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bees
Nosema*
Prevalence
RNA Viruses*
Viruses*
Wasps*

Supplementary concepts

Deformed wing virus