Virus-like particles in the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi (Rennie)

Abstract - Tracheal mite infected honey bees were collected from Scotland and from California. The lyzed cells of the body cavity of tracheal mites in the honey bees collected from Scotland harboured numerous 27 nm isometric virus-like particles. These virus-like particles were formed in a crystalline array and were arranged in a hexagonal pattern. No virus-like particles were observed in the tracheal mites of the honey bees collected from California. The significance of these observations in relation to the honey bee tracheal mite resistance is discussed.