Colony Level Prevalence and Intensity of Nosema ceranae in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.).

ABSTRACT: Nosema ceranae is a widely prevalent microsporidian parasite in the western honey bee. There is considerable uncertainty regarding infection dynamics of this important pathogen in honey bee colonies. Understanding the infection dynamics at the colony level may aid in development of a reliable sampling protocol for N. ceranae diagnosis, and provide insights into efficient treatment strategies. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence (proportion of the sampled bees found infected) and intensity (number of spores per bee) of N. ceranae infection in bees from various age cohorts in a colony. We examined N. ceranae infection in both overwintered colonies that were naturally infected with N. ceranae and in quadruple cohort nucleus colonies that were established and

SUBMITTER: Jack CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5033419 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature