Phylogenetic analysis of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and a predicted structural protein (pSP) of the Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) isolated from various geographic regions.

Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is responsible for chronic paralysis, an infectious and contagious disease of adult honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). The full-length nucleotide sequences of the two major RNAs of CBPV have previously been characterized. The Orf3 of RNA1 has shown significant similarities to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of positive single-stranded RNA viruses, whereas the Orf3 of RNA2 encodes a putative structural protein (pSP). In the present study, honey bees originating from 9 different countries (Austria, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Uruguay and France) were analysed for the presence of CBPV genome. The complete genomic nucleotide sequence of the RdRp (1947bp) and of the pSP (543bp) from 24 honey bee positive samples was determined and the phylogenetic relationship among isolates was investigated. Four distinct genotypes of CBPV were observed.