Saturday, August 30, 2008

Scientists Discover New Virus Invading US Honeybees | Health Informer

Scientists Discover New Virus Invading US Honeybees | Health Informer: "Scientists at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), located in Edgewood, MD, working with scientists at the University of Montana and industry partners Bee Alert Technology, Inc. and BVS, Inc. have discovered in U.S. honeybees a virus only before identified in European honeybees.

The invading bee virus newly discovered in the U.S. is called Varroa Destructor Virus -1 (VDV-1). First definitively identified in Europe in 2006, VDV-1 is carried by both honeybees and the tiny varroa mites that affect them. VDV-1 is related to a family of paralytic viruses that causes a breakdown of some membranes. In silkworms the virus causes flaccid disease, which causes the worms to digest themselves internally."

No comments:

Post a Comment