Tobacco Ring Spot Virus (TRSV), a plant pathogenic virus, may cause infection in honey bees. This new research finding is a collaborative work led by Dr. Li Jilian from the Apiculture Research Institute (ARI) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and Dr. Yanping (Judy) Chen from the Bee Research laboratory of Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (ARS-USDA).
Pathogen host shift is a major source of new infectious diseases. This study provides the first evidence that honey bees exposed to virus-contaminated pollen could also be infected systemically, indicating potential risks of new viral disease emergence due to host shift events. This new finding represents a unique example of viruses that can cause infection in both plants and animals.

The study has been published online on mBio on January 21, 2014:
http://mbio.asm.org/