Varroa destructor changes its cuticular hydrocarbons to mimic new hosts
Résumé
Varroa destructor (Vd) is a honeybee ectoparasite. Its original host is the Asian
honeybee, Apis cerana, but it has also become a severe, global threat to the
European honeybee, Apis mellifera. Previous studies have shown that Varroa
can mimic a host’s cuticular hydrocarbons (HC), enabling the parasite to
escape the hygienic behaviour of the host honeybees. By transferring mites
between the two honeybee species, we further demonstrate that Vd is able to
mimic the cuticular HC of a novel host species when artificially transferred
to this new host. Mites originally from A. cerana are more efficient than
mites from A. mellifera in mimicking HC of both A. cerana and A. mellifera.
This remarkable adaptability may explain their relatively recent host-shift
from A. cerana to A. mellifera.
Domaines
Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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