The Institute of Apicultural Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IARCAAS) recently worked with the Institute of Bast Fiber Crops of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to construct infectious clones for black queen cell virus (BQCV), providing a theoretical basis for studying the pathogenic mechanisms of BQCV and the immune response of hosts to viral infection. Relevant findings were published in the Journal of General Virology.

BQCV is one of the viruses that seriously threaten the health of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera), but the molecular basis of its pathogenicity remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the viral replication of BQCV and its pathogenic mechanisms by establishing a reverse genetic system of BQCV. After healthy honey bees were infected with infectious clones of BQCV, the BQCV recombination group had a higher virus mortality rate than the control group. Meanwhile, expressions of immune gene hymenoptaecin and defensin 1 were significantly up-regulated after infection with BQCV. This study provided a molecular basis for BQCV isolates, and facilitated a better understanding of the genomic features of BQCV and its pathogenic mechanisms.