Analysis of the nonstructural and structural polyprotein regions, and complete genome sequences of Israel acute paralysis viruses identified from honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Korea

•Twenty-four partial ORF1 and ORF2 IAPV genome regions were identified from infected honeybees in Korea.•Three complete IAPV genome sequences were identified from different regions of Korea.•The Korean genotypes were very similar to that from China but highly diverged from USA and Australian genotypes.•The Korean genotypes showed more variability with USA isolates in the ORF1 and ORF2 regions.•The Korean genotypes varied greatly from the Australian isolate in the ORF1 region but shared high similarity in the ORF2 region.

Phylogenetic trees were constructed for 24 partial nucleotide sequences of the nonstructural polyprotein (ORF1) and structural polyprotein regions (ORF2) of Korean IAPV genotypes, as well as eight previously reported IAPV sequences from various countries. Most of the Korean genotypes formed a distinct cluster, separate from other country genotypes. To investigate this phenomenon in more detail, three complete IAPV genome sequences were identified from different regions in Korea, i.e., Korea1, Korea2, and Korea3. These sequences were aligned with eight previously reported complete genome sequences and various genome regions were compared. The Korean IAPVs were very similar to those from China and Israel, but highly diverged from USA and Australian genotypes. Interestingly, they showed greater variability than the USA and Australian genotypes in ORF1, but highly similar to the Australian genotype in the ORF2 region. Thus, genetic recombination may account for the spatial distance between the Korean IAPV genotypes and those from other countries.