Ebeling Julia, Reinecke Antonia, Sibum Niklas, Fünfhaus Anne, Aumeier Pia, Otten Christoph, Genersch Elke
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Bee Diseases, Institute for Bee Research, 16540 Hohen Neuendorf, Germany.
Department for Biology and Biotechnology, Behavioural Biology and Biology Education, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
Vet Sci. 2023 Feb 1;10(2):103. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10020103.
American Foulbrood (AFB) of honey bees caused by the spore-forming bacterium is a notifiable epizootic in most countries. Authorities often consider a rigorous eradication policy the only sustainable control measure. However, early diagnosis of infected but not yet diseased colonies opens up the possibility of ridding these colonies of spores by the shook swarm method, thus preventing colony destruction by AFB or official control orders. Therefore, surveillance of bee colonies for infection followed by appropriate sanitary measures is a very important intervention to control AFB. For the detection of spores in infected colonies, samples of brood comb honey, adult bees, or hive debris are commonly used. We here present our results from a comparative study on the suitability of these matrices in reliably and correctly detecting spores contained in these matrices. Based on the sensitivity and limit of detection of spores in samples from hive debris, adult bees, and brood comb honey, we conclude that the latter two are equally well-suited for AFB surveillance programs. Hive debris samples should only be used when it is not possible to collect honey or adult bee samples from brood combs.
由形成孢子的细菌引起的蜜蜂美洲幼虫腐臭病（AFB）在大多数国家属于应通报的动物流行病。当局通常认为严格的根除政策是唯一可持续的控制措施。然而，对受感染但尚未发病的蜂群进行早期诊断，为通过抖蜂法清除这些蜂群中的孢子提供了可能性，从而防止AFB导致蜂群毁灭或官方下达控制命令。因此，对蜂群进行AFB感染监测并随后采取适当的卫生措施是控制AFB的一项非常重要的干预措施。为了检测受感染蜂群中的孢子，通常使用巢脾蜂蜜、成年蜜蜂或蜂巢碎片样本。我们在此展示了一项比较研究的结果，该研究旨在探讨这些基质在可靠且正确地检测其中所含孢子方面的适用性。基于蜂巢碎片、成年蜜蜂和巢脾蜂蜜样本中孢子的敏感性和检测限，我们得出结论，后两者同样非常适合AFB监测项目。只有在无法从巢脾中采集蜂蜜或成年蜜蜂样本时，才应使用蜂巢碎片样本。
