# Viruses Infecting Cuban Honey Bees and Evolution of Deformed-Wing-Virus Variants

## TL;DR

This study explores the evolution of deformed wing virus (DWV) in Cuba's isolated honey bee population, revealing unique viral patterns similar to those in the USA and Europe.

## Contribution

The study reports the first detection of Lake Sinai Virus variants and the dominance of DWV-B in Cuba, highlighting unique viral evolution in an isolated bee population.

## Key findings

- Two variants of Lake Sinai Virus were detected in Cuban honey bee samples.
- DWV-B is the dominant variant in Cuba, unlike neighboring regions where DWV-A is more common.
- A DWV-B/A recombinant was identified, suggesting viral evolution in Cuba mirrors that of the USA and Europe.

## Abstract

Cuba is in a unique situation in which it has a large (220,000 managed colonies) and isolated honey bee population due to a 60+ year ban on the importation of bees. Despite this, the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor arrived in 1996, and with it came deformed wing virus (DWV). In 2018, an island-wide survey detected varroa and DWV in 91% of colonies. In this study, we conducted a full-virome analysis on some of these samples, along with additional samples collected in 2021. For the first time, we detected two variants of Lake Sinai Virus and confirmed the absence of the normally widespread black queen cell virus in Cuba. We also detected both DWV-A and DWV-B master variants, with DWV-B being the dominant variant. Interestingly, the DWV-B/A recombinant was also detected, indicating that despite Cuba’s isolated nature, the pattern of DWV evolution mirrors that found in the USA and Europe. However, this pattern is not found in neighboring Latin America, China, or Japan, where the DWV-A master variant continues to be dominant. How and why two distinct evolutionary DWV pathways have arisen remain a mystery.