Abstract
Approximately one-third of the typical human Western diet depends upon pollination for production, and honey bees (Apis mellifera) are the primary pollinators of numerous food crops, including fruits, nuts, vegetables, and oilseeds. Regional large scale losses of managed honey bee populations have increased significantly during the last decade. In particular, asymptomatic infection of honey bees with viruses and bacterial pathogens are quite common, and co-pathogenic interaction with other pathogens have led to more severe and frequent colony losses. Other multiple environmental stress factors, including agrochemical exposure, lack of quality forage, and reduced habitat, have all contributed to the considerable negative impact upon bee health. The ability to accurately diagnose diseases early could likely lead to better management and treatment strategies. While many molecular diagnostic tests such as real-time PCR and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry have been developed to detect honey bee pathogens, they are not field-deployable and thus cannot support local apiary husbandry decision-making for disease control. Here we review the field-deployable technology termed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and its application to diagnose honey bee infections.
Highlights
The European honey bee, Apis mellifera, is a significant component of agricultural systems worldwide
The most common technique for detecting honey bee pests and pathogens is by quantitative PCR, and in the case of a virus, this requires the use of reverse transcriptase to amplify the RNA, which is termed RT-qPCR
It is important that researchers continue to develop assays against other honey bee pathogen and promote them for use in the field, with consideration given to non-invasive sampling methods to maximize the benefit from loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays and reduce stress on honey bee hives introduced by humans
Summary
The European honey bee, Apis mellifera, is a significant component of agricultural systems worldwide. The most common technique for detecting honey bee pests and pathogens is by quantitative PCR (qPCR), and in the case of a virus, this requires the use of reverse transcriptase to amplify the RNA, which is termed RT-qPCR. The only fieldbased diagnostic technologies applied for the detection of honey bee pests and pathogens is LAMP.
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