Abstract
Nosema ceranae is a relatively new pathogen of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the course of type C nosemosis (the disease that it causes) is not entirely known. In order to better understand the course and the consequences of this disease, laboratory experiments were performed. They aimed to compare the course of N. ceranae infection with the course of Nosema apis infection, taking its influence on the black queen cell virus (BQCV) into account. Determination of the quantity of N. ceranae and BQCV genetic material in laboratory tests was performed using real-time PCR. In mixed Nosema infections, N. ceranae “wins” the competition and manages to outnumber N. apis significantly. BQCV exacerbates the course of both A and C nosemoses, but the data shows that in the case of nosemosis C and this viral infection, the mortality rate was the highest from all examined groups. Obtained results show that N. ceranae is more pathogenic for A. mellifera than N. apis, and the course of type C nosemosis is much heavier, which results in the shortened life spans of bees, and in connection with BQCV it becomes even more dangerous to bees.
Highlights
Nosema ceranae, originating from the Asian honeybee, Apis cerana [1], and quite recently in European honeybees [2], is an emergent pathogen of the honeybee Apis mellifera, found almost everywhere in the world [3]
Experiment 1: Competition between Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis in Mixed Infection
The Kaplan–Meier test showed a clear tendency for the bees infected with N. apis to survive longer than bees infected with N. ceranae and bees infected with both species
Summary
Nosema ceranae, originating from the Asian honeybee, Apis cerana [1], and quite recently in European honeybees [2], is an emergent pathogen of the honeybee Apis mellifera, found almost everywhere in the world [3]. In Poland, its presence was confirmed in 2007 [4] It is classified as Microsporidium, an intracellular parasitic fungus that multiplies in epithelial cells and regeneration crypts in the midgut of the honeybee, and (in consequence) damages them [5]. This parasite is known to cause extensive cell degeneration and lysis (as a consequence of an oxidative stress produced by the honeybees’ immune system) [6]. As a highly virulent pathogen, N. ceranae seems to be ousting the long present N. apis from colonies in some European countries [8,9], but the mechanism here is yet unclear
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