Abstract
Veterinarians are educated in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in various vertebrate species. As they are familiar with multifactorial health problems in single animals as well as in herd health management, their knowledge and skills can be beneficial for the beekeepers and honeybee health. However, in education and in practice, honeybees are not a common species for most veterinarians and the typical veterinary diagnostic methods such as blood sampling or auscultation are not applicable to the superorganism honeybee. Honeybee colonies may be affected by various biotic and abiotic factors. Among the infectious agents, RNA-viruses build the largest group, causing covert and overt infections in honeybee colonies which may lead to colony losses. Veterinarians could and should play a more substantial role in managing honeybee health—not limited to cases of notifiable diseases and official hygiene controls. This review discusses the veterinary diagnostic approach to adult bee examination with a special focus on diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the common virus diseases Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV)-Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV)-Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)-Complex, Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV) and Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), as well as coinfections like Varroa spp. and Nosema spp.
Highlights
In contrast to human medicine, one of the most prominent features of veterinary medicine is that a veterinarian has to deal with a large variety of species
Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and Kashmir bee virus (KBV) are a reason for a sharp decline in the adult bee population [22]
Obvious symptoms are seen in the colony only if Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) replicates in the mite before being transferred to the bees
Summary
In contrast to human medicine, one of the most prominent features of veterinary medicine is that a veterinarian has to deal with a large variety of species. A large number of individuals together form a superorganism Both this unit as well as the individual bee have to be investigated carefully. Dealing with diseases in honeybees is different from the normal approach in veterinary medicine. The honeybee is a food-producing animal and assuring the quality of honey is an additional objective for veterinarians and beekeepers. E.g., rapeseed (Brassica napus) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus), pollen harvest severely declines [12] and limits adequate nutrition Such an insufficient protein diet weakens the bees in defending against pathogens [14]. This review presents basic information on selected virus diseases and the process of colony examination and diagnostics from the veterinary perspective, with a focus on adult honeybees
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