Differential Viral Distribution Patterns in Reproductive Tissues of and Drones.

Honeybee drones are male bees that mate with virgin queens during the mating flight, consequently transferring their genes to offspring. Therefore, the health of drones affects the overall fitness of the offspring and ultimately the survivability of the colony. Honeybee viruses are considered to be a major threat to the health of honeybees. In the present study, we demonstrated the pattern of common honeybee viruses in various tissues of drones in the western honeybee, , and the eastern honeybee, . Drones were collected during the mating flight and analyzed using quantitative real-time (qRT-PCR) to detect the presence of seven honeybee viruses. The qRT-PCR result revealed that three honeybee viruses, namely Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV), Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), and Chinese Sacbrood Virus (CSBV), were detected in the reproductive tissues of and drones. The results from qRT-PCR showed that the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) was only detected in drone body tissues. Moreover, the prevalence of DWV and BQCV in the drones collected from colonies was significantly higher than that of . In addition, virus multiple infections were higher in drones compared to those in . CSBV was found predominantly in the reproductive tissues of drones. This study is the first report describing the presence of the CSBV in reproductive tissues of drones. Our results may reflect the preference of honeybee viruses in honeybee species and may provide a piece of interesting evidence for understanding the virus transmission in .