The pathogens spillover and incidence correlation in bumblebees and honeybees in Slovenia

Pislak, Metka (author), Toplak, Ivan (author), Zajc, Urška (author), Bevk, Danilo (author)

Slovenia has a long tradition of beekeeping and a high density of honeybee colonies, but less is known about bumblebees and their pathogens. Therefore, a study was conducted to define the incidence and prevalence of pathogens in bumblebees and to determine whether there are links between infections in bumblebees and honeybees. In 2017 and 2018, clinically healthy workers of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and honeybees (Apis mellifera) were collected on flowers at four different locations in Slovenia. In addition, bumblebee queens were also collected in 2018. Several pathogens were detected in the bumblebee workers using PCR and RT-PCR methods: 8.8% on acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), 58.5% on black queen cell virus (BQCV), 6.8% on deformed wing virus (DWV), 24.5% on sacbrood bee virus (SBV), 15.6% on Lake Sinai virus (LSV), 16.3% on Nosema bombi, 8.2% on Nosema ceranae, 15.0% on Apicystis bombi and 17.0% on Crithidia bombi. In bumblebee queens, only the presence of BQCV, A. bombi and C. bombi was detected with 73.3, 26.3 and 33.3% positive samples, respectively. This study confirmed that several pathogens are regularly detected in both bumblebees and honeybees. Further studies on the pathogen transmission routes are required.

• Language: English
• Keywords: bumblebees, honeybees, viruses, Nosema spp., Crithidia bombi, Apicystis bombi, Lotmaria passim, pathogens transmission, animal diseases, bees
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 10, iss. 7, art. 884
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128771
• UDC: 638:616.9:578
• ISSN on article: 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070884
• COBISS.SI-ID: 70081027
• Publication date in RUL: 28.07.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Pathogens
• Shortened title: Pathogens
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-0817
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523338009

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 12.07.2021