The Royal Society
Browse

Supplementary material from "Haemolymph removal by Varroa mite destabilizes the dynamical interaction between immune effectors and virus in bees, as predicted by Volterra's model"

Version 2 2019-04-15, 11:04
Version 1 2019-03-30, 11:42
Posted on 2019-04-15 - 11:04
The association between the deformed wing virus and the parasitic mite Varroa destructor has been identified as a major cause of worldwide honeybee colony losses. The mite acts as a vector of the viral pathogen and can trigger its replication in infected bees. However, the mechanistic details underlying this tripartite interaction are still poorly defined, and, particularly, the causes of viral proliferation in mite-infested bees. Here, we develop and test a novel hypothesis that mite feeding destabilizes viral immune control through the removal of both virus and immune effectors, triggering uncontrolled viral replication. Our hypothesis is grounded on the predator–prey theory developed by Volterra, which predicts prey proliferation when both predators and preys are constantly removed from the system. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that the experimental removal of increasing volumes of haemolymph from individual bees results in increasing viral densities. By contrast, we do not find consistent support for alternative proposed mechanisms of viral expansion via mite immune suppression or within-host viral evolution. Our results suggest that haemolymph removal plays an important role in the enhanced pathogen virulence observed in the presence of feeding Varroa mites. Overall, these results provide a new model for the mechanisms driving pathogen–parasite interactions in bees, which ultimately underpin honeybee health decline and colony losses.

CITE THIS COLLECTION

DataCite
3 Biotech
3D Printing in Medicine
3D Research
3D-Printed Materials and Systems
4OR
AAPG Bulletin
AAPS Open
AAPS PharmSciTech
Abhandlungen aus dem Mathematischen Seminar der Universität Hamburg
ABI Technik (German)
Academic Medicine
Academic Pediatrics
Academic Psychiatry
Academic Questions
Academy of Management Discoveries
Academy of Management Journal
Academy of Management Learning and Education
Academy of Management Perspectives
Academy of Management Proceedings
Academy of Management Review
or
Select your citation style and then place your mouse over the citation text to select it.

SHARE

email

Usage metrics

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

AUTHORS (12)

Desiderato Annoscia
Sam P. Brown
Gennaro Di Prisco
Emanuele De Paoli
Simone Del Fabbro
Davide Frizzera
Virginia Zanni
David A. Galbraith
Emilio Caprio
Christina M. Grozinger
Francesco Pennacchio
Francesco Nazzi

CATEGORIES

need help?