Mohammadreza Ghorani - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
Arash Ghalyanchi Langeroudi - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Omid Madadgar - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Mohammadreza Rezapanah - Center of Excellence for Organic Agriculture & Department of Biological Control, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
Sedigheh Nabian - Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Reza Khaltabadi Farahani - Iranian Veterinary Organization, Tehran, Iran

The honey bee Apis mellifera L. has been reported to have at least 18 viruses. One of these viruses is Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). Deformed wing virus is one of important viruses infecting honeybees and one of the most heavily investigated due to its close association with honeybee colony collapse induced by Varroa destructor. In the absence of V. destructor DWV infection does not result in visible symptoms or any apparent negative impact on host fitness.In this study, we evaluated 89 Iranian honey bee apiaries (during 2015-2016) suffering from symptoms of depopulation, sudden collapse, paralysis, or dark coloring by employing reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). The samples collected from 4 regions (Mazandaran, Hormozgan, Kurdistan, and Khorasan Razavi) in Iran. From each apiary, 250 adult dead worker bees were sent to laboratory. Bee samples were collected from October 2015 to September 2016 and referred to the laboratory. RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis have done according to manufacture instructions. RT-PCR was carried out using the primers.A total of 89 honey bee samples originating from 4 regions of Iran, were investigated by RT-PCR for the molecular detection of DWV. The RT-PCR assays were detected DWV RNAs. Out of the 89 apiaries examined, 16 (17.97%) were infected with DWV [Khorasan Razavi: 9 (39.13%), Kurdistan: 5 (21.73%), Hormozgan: 2 (10%), Mazandaran: 0 (0%)].In the present study, we evaluated the molecular prevalence of DWV in the bee samples collected from sick colonies of suspected 89 Iranian apiaries were conducted.The present study has been looked into the first molecular detection of DWV in suspected bee colonies and identified remarkable differences in the distribution pattern of the viruses in the different geographic regions of Iran.The most abundance of DWV was in Khorasan Razavi. In contrast, the samples of Mazandaran apiaries were the lack of DWV.

Deformed Wing Virus, RT-PCR, Honeybee, Iran