Pathogen spillover from Apis mellifera to a stingless bee.

ABSTRACT: Pathogen spillover from managed bees is increasingly considered as a possible cause of pollinator decline. Though spillover has been frequently documented, evidence of the pathogen's virulence in the new host or mechanism of transmission is rare. Stingless bees (Apocrita: Meliponini) are crucial pollinators pan-tropically and overlap with managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) in much of their range. Nosema ceranae is the most prevalent disease of adult A. mellifera. We used laboratory experiments and field surveys to investigate the susceptibility of stingless bees (Tetragonula hockingsi) to N. ceranae, infection prevalence and transmissibility via flowers. We found that 67% of T. hockingsi fed sucrose with N. ceranae had detectable spores in their ventriculus, and they died at 2.96 times the

SUBMITTER: Purkiss T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6710595 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature