A molecular epidemiological study of black queen cell virus in honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) of Turkey: the first genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of field viruses

Black queen cell virus (BQCV) is one of the most common honeybee pathogens causing queen brood deaths. The 63 apiaries were sampled between 2007 and 2013 from four different ecogeographic regions in Turkey to estimate BQCV molecular structural characteristics. The BQCV positivity was 47.6%. The 25 local Black queen cell viruses (TrBQCVs) were molecularly characterized and investigated for their genetic relationship with previous records. The identity of the helicase gene among the TrBQCVs was 92–98%, whereas the similarity ranged from 37 to 85% in comparison with the intercontinental records. The identity of the partial capsid gene among the TrBQCVs was 91–100%, and the similarity rate varied from 86 to 97, 88–96, 90–97 and 89–99% in comparison with the Asian, African, American and European counterparts, respectively. The four nonsynonymous substitutions on the partial capsid protein suggest a predicted genotype that is specific among TrBQCVs.