>
> >Question: Is a VDV1-DWV recombinant a third type of virus? Also is it
> correct to assume that the recombinant would manifest deformed wings were
> the VDV1 alone would not?


Ryabov beat us to the punch in publishing the results of the 500 samples
that I asked beekeepers to collect--Dr. Martin is still engaged in next-gen
sequencing of the samples for deep analysis.  The authors of the various
studies on this (Mordecai, Martin, Ryabov,  Kevill, McMahon
and Natsopoulou) are in contact with each other and trying to figure this
all out.

The taxonomy is finally starting to be agreed on.  DWV A includes the cloud
of variants that we've had for some time; DWV = VDV-1, and appears to have
recently invaded the US.  There is also DWV-C, which doesn't seem to do
much.  See "ABC Assay: Method Development and Application to Quantify the
Role of Three DWV Master Variants in Overwinter Colony Losses of European
Honey Bees" Viruses 2017, 9, 314; doi:10.3390/v9110314

It is a single "near clonal" hybrid of the A and B forms that appears to be
most virulent, *but only if transmitted via varroa, *as opposed to being
exposed via the jelly.

The bottom line, as far as beekeepers are concerned, is to keep varroa
levels low in your hives.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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