Can Wasps Transmit HIV?
WouterRNA viruses have been found in some parasitoid wasps, but these viruses have little impact on parasitoid hosts. However, they have been shown to help the parasitoid to establish an infection.
The Lysiphlebus fabarum virus (LFV), previously known only as the RNA virus, has now been confirmed in laboratory and wild parasitoid wasps. RNA viruses are characterized by a lack of an intermediate DNA phase. This may allow viruses to persist without producing visible symptoms. In some parasitoid lines, LysV was found to be more expressed than in others.
LysV was found to be present at four sites in Western Switzerland. The presence of the virus at these sites was confirmed by qPCR. This is the first time a RNA virus has been detected in a parasitoid wasp.
The LysV virus is similar to the DcPV, which has also been found in parasitoid wasps. The difference is that the DcPV is an HIV-like virus, whereas the LysV is an RNA virus. This may provide a clue as to how these viruses are transmitted.
These findings should be confirmed in further field studies in areas endemic for HIV infections. The findings are only preliminary and are not a definitive proof that wasps can transmit HIV. It is also possible that these findings are due to artifacts of the identification methods. The probability of wasps transmitting HIV is extremely low, and there is no indication that they do so at the level of the laboratory.
