Physiological and behavioral changes in honey bees (Apis mellifera) induced by Nosema ceranae infection.

ABSTRACT: Persistent exposure to mite pests, poor nutrition, pesticides, and pathogens threaten honey bee survival. In healthy colonies, the interaction of the yolk precursor protein, vitellogenin (Vg), and endocrine factor, juvenile hormone (JH), functions as a pacemaker driving the sequence of behaviors that workers perform throughout their lives. Young bees perform nursing duties within the hive and have high Vg and low JH; as older bees transition to foraging, this trend reverses. Pathogens and parasites can alter this regulatory network. For example, infection with the microsporidian, Nosema apis, has been shown to advance behavioral maturation in workers. We investigated the effects of infection with a recent honey bee pathogen on physiological factors underlying the division of labor in worke

SUBMITTER: Goblirsch M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3590174 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature