Pathogenicity and transmission of Morganella morganii in honey bees

Abstract

Honey bees provide essential pollination services in the ecosystem. The high annual loss of honey bees has raised concerns about global food security and the agricultural economy. As a primary stressor causing colony failure, the mite Varroa destructor feeds on the hemolymph and the bee’s fat body tissue. The Varroa mite-associated deformed wing virus has been extensively studied because it can be found in each individual mite and causes bee mortality. A recent study shows that the Varroa mite can transmit pathogenic bacteria, while the transmission route remains unclear. In this study, we isolated and assembled a previously uncultured bacterium, Morganella morganii, from the mites Varroa destructor. This pathogenic bacterium exhibited a high case fatality rate, as evidenced by 215 cells causing over 30% mortality in pupae and adult bees. Using a fluorescent protein-tagged strain, we provide evidence that M. morganii can not be transmitted among bees through social contacts, while it can be transmitted from mites to bees, and vice versa. The cumulative incidence of transmitting M. morganii from infected bees to mites is 92.1%, and 68.49% from infected mites to naïve bees. Our data aligns with the honey bee colony collapse in winter, when the mite population expands, accelerating the honey bees to tap into a reservoir of this lethal bacterium.