Survey and molecular detection of , the causative agent of European Foulbrood in honeybees in Saudi Arabia.

A large-scale field survey was conducted to screen major Saudi Arabian beekeeping locations for infection by is one of the major bacterial pathogens of honeybee broods and is the causative agent of European Foulbrood disease (EFB). Larvae from samples suspected of infection were collected from different apiaries and homogenized in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Bacteria were isolated on MYPGP agar medium. Two bacterial isolates, ksuMP7 and ksuMP9 (16S rRNA GenBank accession numbers, KX417565 and KX417566, respectively), were subjected to molecular identification using -specific primers, a BLAST sequence analysis revealed that the two isolates were with more than 98% sequence identity. The molecular detection of from honeybee is the first recorded incidence of this pathogen in Saudi Arabia. This study emphasizes the need for official authorities to take immediate steps toward treating and limiting the spread of this disease throughout the country.