Skičková Štefánia, Baňas Miroslav, Abuin-Denis Lianet, Svobodová Karolína, Maitre Apolline, Wu-Chuang Alejandra, Obregón Dasiel, Mateos-Hernández Lourdes, Majláth Igor, Majláthová Viktória, Krejčí Alena, Cabezas-Cruz Alejandro
Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia.
ANSES, INRAE, École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France.
Int Microbiol. 2025 Jul 21. doi: 10.1007/s10123-025-00699-8.
Varroa destructor mite is a major threat to honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations, contributing to colony losses through parasitism and pathogen transmission. While extensive research has focused on Varroa biology and its role as a virus vector, its microbiome remains poorly understood, particularly regarding geographic variation. Here, we investigated the microbial diversity, composition, and functional potential of Varroa mite microbiota collected from two neighboring countries, Czechia and Slovakia. Using high-throughput sequencing and network analysis, we assessed alpha and beta diversity metrics, microbial co-occurrence patterns, and predicted metabolic functions. Our results revealed significant differences in microbial diversity between the two regions, with some bacterial taxa appearing more prevalent in specific populations. Network analysis suggested potential variation in the structural stability of microbial communities in Varroa mites, raising the possibility that geographic factors may influence microbial interactions. Functional profiling indicated region-associated differences in predicted metabolic pathways, possibly linked to certain bacterial taxa. While these findings provide new insights into the Varroa microbiome and its potential ecological role, the interpretation of geographic influence remains a subject of ongoing investigation to better understand its scope and underlying mechanisms. A deeper understanding of these microbial dynamics may contribute to the development of novel strategies for Varroa mite management and the conservation of honeybee health.
狄斯瓦螨对蜜蜂（西方蜜蜂）种群构成重大威胁，通过寄生和病原体传播导致蜂群损失。尽管大量研究聚焦于狄斯瓦螨生物学及其作为病毒载体的作用，但其微生物群落仍知之甚少，尤其是在地理变异方面。在此，我们调查了从两个邻国捷克和斯洛伐克采集的狄斯瓦螨微生物群的多样性、组成和功能潜力。我们使用高通量测序和网络分析来评估α和β多样性指标、微生物共现模式，并预测代谢功能。我们的结果显示，两个地区的微生物多样性存在显著差异，一些细菌类群在特定种群中更为普遍。网络分析表明，狄斯瓦螨微生物群落的结构稳定性可能存在差异，这增加了地理因素可能影响微生物相互作用的可能性。功能分析表明，预测的代谢途径存在与地区相关的差异，这可能与某些细菌类群有关。虽然这些发现为狄斯瓦螨微生物群落及其潜在的生态作用提供了新见解，但对地理影响的解释仍是一个正在进行研究的课题，以更好地了解其范围和潜在机制。对这些微生物动态的更深入理解可能有助于制定新的狄斯瓦螨管理策略和保护蜜蜂健康。
