Genotyping of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee colonies of Urmia by PCR-RFLP

Varroosis is a disease of Apis mellifera L. caused by the mite Varroa destructor. V. destructor is a complex species and has two distinct Korean (K) and Japanese (J) genotypes. Different Varroa genotypes appear to be important regarding the virulence of mite. The aim of the present study was to identify the haplotypes of the Varroa destructor mite which infects honeybees (Apis mellifera) in honey bee colonies in Urmia, using PCR-RFLP techniques for the mitochondrial Cox1 gene of the mite. For this purpose, 200 mites were collected from apiaries in different regions of Urmia city. In order to confirm the haplotype, two specific primer pairs were selected. A segment of DNA genome comprising 570 bp of nuclotides have been selected and amplified using the primer pair. XhoI and SacI restriction enzymes were used for the amplified products. Although, the SacI restriction enzyme did not cut the DNA, the XhoI restriction enzyme cut the amplified DNA into two fragments (bands), with the sizes of 270 and 300 bp two bands. While comparing the results, these bands were found specific for Korean haplotype of V. destructor. In conclusion, all the 200 samples of V. destructor examined in this study were identified to be the Korean genotype. According to the results of this study, and the relationship between type of genotype and its pathogenicity, new treatment and control methods can be used in the apiaries of this region.