Review on application and preparation of cell cultures of honey bee(Apis mellifera)

The cell cultures, especially primary cultures, are widely used in the isolation and identification of viruses. Viruses are one of the most important causes of disease and can cause enormous economic damage. Also, they are used in basic research in cell physiology, genetics, and many other items. Primary cell cultures are also used in chromosomal research on karyotypes, morphology, and abnormal states of chromosomes. Primary cell culture preparation, such as bees that have not yet been derived from the cell line, is widely used in the isolation and identification of viruses. In the field of honey bee cell culture, the research in most countries is more limited than other insects but in recent years, good results have been achieved in this field. There are some good results about the larval and pupal stages of the honey bee primary culture in Iran. Since there are some reports about the influence of honey bee in viral investigation in Iran, this article introduces methods of bee cell culture preparation and the results obtained in Iran and other countries that can use to isolate viruses and study them when necessary.