Nabian S, Ahmadi K, Nazem Shirazi Mh, Gerami Sadeghian A
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Iran.
Iran J Parasitol. 2011 Aug;6(3):89-95.
Nosemosis of European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is present in bee colonies worldwide. Until recently, Nosema apis had been regarded as the causative agent of the disease, that causes heavy economic losses in apicultures. Nosema ceranae is an emerging microsporidian parasite of European honeybees, A. mellifera, but its distribution is not well known. Previously, nosemosis in honeybees in Iran was attributed exclusively to N. apis.
Six Nosema positive samples (determined from light microscopy of spores) of adult worker bees from one province of Iran (Savadkouh- Mazandaran, northern Iran) were tested to determine Nosema species using previously- developed PCR primers of the 16 S rRNA gene. As it is difficult to distinguish N. ceranae and N. apis morphologically, a PCR assay based on 16 S ribosomal RNA has been used to differentiate N. apis and N. ceranae.
Only N. ceranae was found in all samples, indicating that this species present in Iran apiaries.
This is the first report of N. ceranae in colonies of A. mellifera in Iran. It seems that intensive surveys are needed to determine the distribution and prevalence of N. ceranae in different regions of Iran.
欧洲蜜蜂（西方蜜蜂）的微孢子虫病在全球蜂群中都有出现。直到最近，蜜蜂微孢子虫一直被认为是该病的病原体，给养蜂业造成了巨大的经济损失。东方蜜蜂微孢子虫是西方蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）一种新出现的微孢子虫寄生虫，但其分布情况尚不为人所知。此前，伊朗蜜蜂的微孢子虫病仅被归因于蜜蜂微孢子虫。
从伊朗一个省份（伊朗北部萨瓦德库赫 - 马赞德兰）的成年工蜂中采集了六个微孢子虫阳性样本（通过孢子的光学显微镜检查确定），使用先前开发的16 S rRNA基因PCR引物来确定微孢子虫的种类。由于在形态上很难区分东方蜜蜂微孢子虫和蜜蜂微孢子虫，因此基于16 S核糖体RNA的PCR检测已被用于区分蜜蜂微孢子虫和东方蜜蜂微孢子虫。
在所有样本中仅发现了东方蜜蜂微孢子虫，这表明该物种存在于伊朗的养蜂场中。
这是伊朗西方蜜蜂蜂群中首次报道东方蜜蜂微孢子虫。似乎需要进行深入调查以确定东方蜜蜂微孢子虫在伊朗不同地区的分布和流行情况。
