Genotype diversity in the honey bee parasite Nosema ceranae: multi-strain isolates, cryptic sex or both?

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is great controversy as to whether Microsporidia undergo a sexual cycle. In the paradigmatic case of Nosema ceranae, although there is no morphological evidence of sex, some meiosis-specific genes are present in its reduced genome and there is also high intraspecific variability, with incongruent phylogenies having been systematically obtained. The possibility of sexual recombination is important from an epidemiological standpoint, particularly as N. ceranae is considered to be a major factor in the current disquieting epidemic of widespread bee colony losses. This parasite apparently originated in oriental honey bees, spreading out of Asia and Australia to infect honey bees worldwide. This study had three main objectives: i) to obtain genetic markers that are not

SUBMITTER: Sagastume S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5069816 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature