Histopathology of nosemosis in honey bees: correlation with manual counting and comparison of staining methods.

ABSTRACT: Nosemosis, caused by Vairimorpha (Nosema) ceranae or V. (Nosema) apis, is the main fungal disease affecting the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera). We evaluated the use of histology in the diagnosis of disease, identified the histologic patterns, and compared the efficacy of different staining techniques. We sampled 10 hives, collecting ~80 bees per hive. Spore counts were performed on 60 bees per sample using a hemocytometer in accordance with the standard procedure. Slides of whole bees were produced from the remaining bees, stained with 15 different techniques, and observed under a light microscope at 400×. Infection in the ventriculus was graded using hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron stain; prevalence and severity of the infection were deter

SUBMITTER: Racine E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12675220 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature