Honey bee total RNA sequencing

Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) in association with Varroa destructor, is responsible for colony collapse in the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera). The appearance of deformed individuals within an infested colony has long been associated with colony loss. However, it is unknown why only a fraction of DWV positive bees develop deformed wings. This study used next generation sequencing (total RNAseq) to compare the DWV genomes extracted from three pairs of deformed (individual) and asymptomatic (pooled) bees. Samples were collected in 2012 from Hawaii.