Data from: A sting in the spit: widespread cross-infection of multiple RNA viruses across wild and managed bees

1.Declining populations of bee pollinators are a cause of concern, with major repercussions for biodiversity loss and food security. RNA viruses associated with honeybees represent a potential threat to other insect pollinators, but the extent of this threat is poorly understood.
2.This study aims to attain a detailed understanding of the current and on going risk of emerging infectious disease (EID) transmission between managed and wild pollinator species across a wide range of RNA viruses.
3.Within a structured large-scale national survey across 26 independent sites, we quantify the prevalence and pathogen loads of multiple RNA viruses in co-occurring managed honeybee (Apis mellifera) and wild bumblebee (Bombus spp.) populations. We then construct models that compare virus prevalence between wild and managed pollinators.
4.Multiple RNA viruses associated with honeybees are widespread in sympatric wild bumblebee populations. Virus prevalence in honeybees is a significant predictor of virus prevalence in bumblebees, but we remain cautious in speculating over the principle direction of pathogen transmission. We demonstrate species-specific differences in prevalence, indicating significant variation in disease susceptibility or resilience. Pathogen loads within individual bumblebees may be high and in the case of at least one RNA virus, prevalence is higher in wild bumblebees than in managed honeybee populations.
5.Our findings indicate widespread transmission of RNA viruses between managed and wild bee pollinators, pointing to an interconnected network of potential disease pressures within and between pollinator species. In the context of the biodiversity crisis, our study emphasizes the importance of targeting a wide range of pathogens and defining host associations when considering potential drivers of population decline.

1. 传粉蜜蜂（bee pollinators）种群数量下降已引发广泛担忧，其对生物多样性丧失与粮食安全均会造成严重冲击。与蜜蜂相关的RNA病毒（RNA virus）对其他昆虫传粉者构成潜在威胁，但目前对该威胁的波及范围仍知之甚少。
2. 本研究旨在深入解析当前及持续存在的、跨多种RNA病毒的人工饲养与野生传粉物种间新发传染病（emerging infectious disease, EID）传播风险。
3. 本研究依托覆盖26个独立采样点的结构化大规模全国性调查，对同域共存的人工饲养西方蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）与野生熊蜂（Bombus spp.）种群中的多种RNA病毒流行率及病原体载量进行定量分析，随后构建模型对比野生与人工饲养传粉昆虫的病毒流行率。
4. 与蜜蜂相关的多种RNA病毒在同域分布的野生熊蜂种群中广泛存在。蜜蜂体内的病毒流行率是熊蜂病毒流行率的重要预测因子，但我们在推测病原体传播的主要方向时仍保持谨慎。本研究揭示了病毒流行率的物种特异性差异，表明不同物种在疾病易感性或耐受性上存在显著差异。单个熊蜂个体体内的病原体载量可能较高，且至少有一种RNA病毒在野生熊蜂种群中的流行率高于人工饲养西方蜜蜂种群。
5. 本研究结果表明，RNA病毒在人工饲养与野生传粉蜜蜂之间存在广泛传播，这意味着传粉物种内部及物种间存在一张相互关联的潜在疾病压力网络。在当前生物多样性危机的背景下，本研究强调，在探究种群下降的潜在驱动因素时，针对多种病原体并明确宿主关联关系具有重要意义。