Mi-Sun Yoo

Rapid detection of sacbrood virus in honeybee using ultra-rapid real-time polymerase chain reaction.

A real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was developed for the fast and highly sensitive detection of the sacbrood virus (SBV) genome and applied to honeybee samples. Using plasmid DNA containing a partial SBV genome and diluted serially, as few as 1×10(2)copies/μl (correlation co-efficiency >0.99) were detected by the qRT-PCR assay, whereas 1×10(3)copies/μl were detected by the conventional RT-PCR assay. As a rapid detection method, ultra-rapid real-time PCR (URRT-PCR) was carried out with a GenSpector TMC-1000 silicon-glass chip-based thermal cycler, which has a 6μl micro-chamber volume and a fast outstandingly heating/cooling rate. Using this method, 10(3)copies of pBX-SBV3.8 clone were detected within 17 min after 40 PCR cycles, including melting point analysis. To reduce the detection time for SBV, synthesis of the cDNA of the SBV genome from a honeybee sample was attempted for different reaction times and the cDNA was used as the template for URRT-PCR assays. The results indicated that a 5 min reaction time was sufficient to synthesize cDNA as the template for the SBV URRT-PCR assay. This study described a novel PCR-based method that is able to detect an RNA virus in environmental samples within 22 min, including reverse transcription, PCR detection and melting point analysis in real-time.

Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification for sensitive and rapid detection of Korean sacbrood virus.

Sacbrood virus (SBV) is one of the most serious honeybee viruses. The virus causes failure to pupate and death in both larvae and adult bees. Recently, the Korean sacbrood virus (KSBV) caused great losses in Korean honeybee (Apis cerana) colonies. Although KSBV shows high homology with SBV strains, it has unique motifs and causes different symptoms. Therefore, a simple, sensitive and specific method for detecting KSBV is needed urgently. In this study, a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for detecting KSBV using total RNA extracted from honeybees (A. cerana) infected with SBV. The LAMP and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods were then compared for their ability to detect KSBV in clinical samples. The virus was detected in RT-LAMP reactions containing 10(3) copies of pBX-KSBV within 30min, which was comparable to RT-PCR. In addition, the LAMP was able to distinguish between KSBV and other closely-related SBV strains, indicating a high degree of specificity. This simple and sensitive RT-LAMP assay is a useful method for the rapid diagnosis of KSBV infection in honeybees.

Development of a rapid detection method to detect tdh gene in Vibrio parahaemolyticus using 2-step ultrarapid real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Thermostable direct hemolysin encoded by tdh gene has been considered an important virulence factor in pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Two-step ultrarapid real-time polymerase chain reaction (URRT PCR) with a microchip was devised to detect V. parahaemolyticus carrying tdh gene. This novel method has a 6-μL reaction volume and extremely reduces running time since one cycle can be completed in 10 s or less. Consequently, 35 cycles of URRT PCR was successfully able to detect up to 100 fg (18 copies) of genomic DNA from pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus carrying tdh gene in 6 min. These results indicate that this method is at present the most rapid detection method for tdh gene and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus.

Efficacy of silver ions against Sacbrood virus infection in the Eastern honey bee Apis cerana

Although silver is known to be a broad-spectrum biocidal agent, the effects of this metal against Sacbrood virus have not yet been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of silver ions against natural Korean sacbrood virus (KSBV) infection of Apis (A.) cerana. Ten KSBV-infected colonies containing A. cerana with similar strength and activity were selected from an apiary located in Bosung-gun (Korea). Among these, five colonies were randomly assigned to the treatment group that was fed sugar syrup containing 0.2 mg/L silver ions. The other colonies were assigned to the untreated control group in which bees were given syrup without the silver ions. To assess the efficacy of the silver ions, colony strength, colony activity, and the number of dead larvae per hive were measured. During the experimental period, the test group maintained its strength and activity until day 32 while those of bees in the control group decreased sharply after day 8 to 16. Survival duration of the test group was significantly longer (40 days) than that of the control group (21 days). These results strongly indicated that silver ions are effective against KSBV infection in A. cerana.

Derivation of cell-adapted Sacbrood virus (SBV) from the native Korean honeybee.

Sacbrood virus (SBV), a causative agent of larval death in honeybees, is one of the most devastating diseases in bee industry throughout the world. Lately the Korean Sacbrood virus (KSBV) induced great losses in Korean honeybee (Apis cerana) colonies. However, there is no culture system available for honeybee viruses, including SBV, therefore, the research on honeybee viruses is practically limited until present. In this study, we investigated the growth and replication of SBV in cell cultures. The replication signs of KSBV after passages from mammalian cells was identified and confirmed by using combined approaches with nested, quantitative, negative-strand PCR and electron microscopy along with in vivo experiment. The results revealed that mammalian cell lines, including Vero cells could support the replication KSBV. Although there were no signs of cytopathic effect (CPE) in cells, it was for the first time demonstrated that SBV could be replicated in cells through the sequential passages linked with cell adaptation. KSBV from the present study would be a valuable source to understand the mechanism of pathogenicity of sacbrood virus in the future.

Differential recognition of the ORF2 region in a complete genome sequence of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) isolated from boar bone marrow in Korea

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the causative agent of post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in swine. Here, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using PCV2 nucleotide sequences derived from the bone marrow of Korean boar and previously reported PCV2 sequences isolated from various countries. PCV2 from Korean boar bone marrow (KC188796) was classified into the group containing PCV2a-Canada and other PCV2 strain from Korea. While the ORF1 region of the PCV2 genome was highly conserved, ORF2 (the capsid protein coding region) was relatively variable. The nucleotide sequences for bone marrow-derived PCV2 were 93.4-99.0% homologous to the other reference sequences. The deduced amino acid sequences for the ORF1 and ORF2 coding regions were 97.4-99.3% and 84.5-97.4% homologous with the other reference strains, respectively, indicating that KC188796 did not differ markedly from the other PCV2 strains. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that bone marrow-derived PCV2 was highly similar to PCV2a from Canada and may be related to persistent PCV2 infections in swine.

Molecular Prevalence of Acarapis Mite Infestations in Honey Bees in Korea

Acarapis mites, including Acarapis woodi, Acarapis externus, and Acarapis dorsalis, are parasites of bees which can cause severe damage to the bee industry by destroying colonies and decreasing honey production. All 3 species are prevalent throughout many countries including UK, USA, Iran, Turkey, China, and Japan. Based on previous reports of Acarapis mites occurring in northeast Asia, including China and Japan, we investigated a survey of Acarapis mite infestations in honey bees in Korean apiaries. A total of 99 colonies of Apis mellifera were sampled from 5 provinces. The head and thorax of 20 bees from each colony were removed for DNA extraction. PCR assays were performed with 3 primer sets, including T, A, and K primers. Results indicated that 42.4% (42/99) of samples were Acarapis-positive by PCR assay which were sequenced to identify species. Each sequence showed 92.6-99.3% homology with reference sequences. Based on the homology, the number of colonies infected with A. dorsalis was 32 which showed the highest infection rate among the 3 species, while the number of colonies infected with A. externus and A. woodi was 9 and 1, respectively. However, none of the Acarapis mites were morphologically detected. This result could be explained that all apiaries in the survey used acaricides against bee mites such as Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps clareae which also affect against Acarapis mites. Based on this study, it is highly probable that Acarapis mites as well as Varroa and Tropilaelaps could be prevalent in Korean apiaries.