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Veterinary Sciences
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One-Health Approach to Bee Health
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One-Health Approach to Bee Health

A topical collection in Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381).

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Editors

Dr. Giovanni Cilia

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
CREA Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Interests: honeybee; pathogens; microbiology; molecular biology; antimicrobials; bacterial infectious disease; zoonosis; antimicrobial resistance; nosemosis; bee viral disease; bee health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonio Nanetti

E-Mail
Collection Editor
CREA Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 00198 Roma, Italy
Interests: honeybee; nosemosis; bee health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the growing interest in the health of bees, and pollinators in general, this Topical Collection aims to bring together most work on the topic. The health of pollinators is strictly related to the health of honey bees and wild bees, and vice versa.

Honey bee diseases are continuously studied by researchers to investigate their relationship with host/parasites. The diseases are caused by several types of pathogens: bacteria (such as Melissococcus plutonius and Paenibacillus larvae), microsporidia (such as Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae) fungi (such as Ascosphaera apis), trypanosomatids (such as Lotmaria passim, Crithidia mellificae, and C. bombi), mites (such as Varroa destructor), predatory wasps (including Vespa velutina), and invasive beetle (such as Aethina tumida), all of which are of great veterinary interest. Honey bee viruses (especially Deformed wing virus, Chronic bee paralysis virus, Black queen cell virus, Acute bee paralysis virus) also play an important ecological role, spread by direct contact on flowers.

All these pathogens may infect not only other bees (Bombus spp., Osmia spp., Megachile spp., Lasioglossum spp.) but also other pollinators and invasive species. Further, the host–pathogen interactions for bee health have been included in a multifactorial approach, involving a dynamic balance among a range of threats and resources interacting at multiple levels of scale.

The aim of this Topical Collection is to explore bee health through a series of research articles focused on different aspects of bee health, including Apis mellifera but also other wild bee species, at different levels of organization, including molecular health, microbial health, population genetic health, and interaction with invasive species that live in close contact with the bee population.

Dr. Giovanni Cilia
Dr. Antonio Nanetti
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • honey bee
  • Apis mellifera
  • bee health
  • wild bees
  • bee pathogens
  • bee viruses
  • bee bacteria
  • microsporidia
  • spillover
  • host-pathogen interaction
  • bumblebee
  • infectious disease
  • honeybee–wild bee spillover
  • invasive pest
  • insect pollinators
  • Nosema ceranae
  • Ascosphaera apis
  • Lotmaria passim
  • acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV)
  • chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV)
  • deformed wing virus (DWV)
  • sac brood virus (SBV)
  • Kashmir bee virus (KBV)

Published Papers (4 papers)

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2024

Jump to: 2023, 2022

13 pages, 467 KiB  
Article
IPM Strategy to Control EFB in Apis mellifera: Oxytetracycline Treatment Combined with Partial Shook Swarm and Queen Caging
by Michela Mosca, Andrea Gyorffy, Marco Pietropaoli, Luigi Giannetti, Antonella Cersini, Luca Fortugno and Giovanni Formato
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11010028 - 10 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1695
Abstract
We tested an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy to control European foulbrood (EFB) in honey bees. Colonies affected by EFB were assigned to two homogenous groups: an oxytetracycline-treated group (1.5 g OTC/hive) that underwent partial shook swarm (PSS) in combination with queen caging [...] Read more.
We tested an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy to control European foulbrood (EFB) in honey bees. Colonies affected by EFB were assigned to two homogenous groups: an oxytetracycline-treated group (1.5 g OTC/hive) that underwent partial shook swarm (PSS) in combination with queen caging (QC) and an untreated group where only two beekeeping techniques, PSS and QC, were applied. The consumption of sucrose solution, the strength of the colonies, side effects of the mentioned techniques, clinical as well as subclinical relapses of EFB, and the amount of OTC residues in the honey were assessed over a 7-month-long monitoring period. Regarding the consumption of the sucrose solution, there was no significant difference between the OTC-treated and untreated groups. The strength of the untreated colonies was consistently but not significantly higher than those treated with OTC. PSS combined with QC resulted in various side effects in both groups: queen loss (52%), absconding (8%), and drone-laying queen (4%). Untreated colonies (16.7%) showed clinical EFB relapses 4 months after the application of PSS along with QC, while 15.4% of the OTC-treated colonies were confirmed EFB-positive by PCR. OTC residues were detected in the honey yielded in the cases of both groups. Two months after the PSS, the amount of OTC residues in the untreated group was 0.6 ± 0.2 µg/kg, while that in the OTC-treated group amounted to 5.8 ± 11.6 µg/kg; both results are below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of 100 ppb considered in the EU for cascade use. Full article
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2023

Jump to: 2024, 2022

14 pages, 2242 KiB  
Review
American Foulbrood—Old and Always New Challenge
by Kazimir Matović, Aleksandar Žarković, Zoran Debeljak, Dejan Vidanović, Nikola Vasković, Bojana Tešović and Jelena Ćirić
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(3), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10030180 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4797
Abstract
American foulbrood (AFB) is exclusively an infectious disease of honey bee larvae (Apis mellifera) and their subspecies that is spread easily and rapidly and is often present in apiaries. Due to the resistance and pathogenicity of the bacterial causative agent of [...] Read more.
American foulbrood (AFB) is exclusively an infectious disease of honey bee larvae (Apis mellifera) and their subspecies that is spread easily and rapidly and is often present in apiaries. Due to the resistance and pathogenicity of the bacterial causative agent of the disease, which has considerable epizootiological and economic significance for beekeeping, AFB was classified as a highly dangerous, infectious animal disease by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). Considering the severity of the infection, a frequent occurrence, rapid and easy spread, epizooty and enzooty are common. We tried to present an overview of the latest information related to AFB through several chapters. In addition to the latest data on the etiology of the causative agent, the most important elements of the clinical signs of the disease are also listed. Along with an overview of classic microbiological and the latest molecular methods of diagnosis, we also discuss AFB treatment from its differential diagnostic aspect. We hope that through demonstrating the mentioned preventive measures and measures of good beekeeping practice, the review will contribute to the preservation of the health of bees and therefore the overall biodiversity of the planet. Full article
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12 pages, 1655 KiB  
Article
Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Deformed Wing Virus and Sacbrood Virus Isolated from Pollen
by Ralitsa Balkanska, Rositsa Shumkova, Nedyalka Atsenova, Delka Salkova, Heliana Dundarova, Georgi Radoslavov and Peter Hristov
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(2), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10020140 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2067
Abstract
Among many pathogens and pests, honey bee viruses are known as one of the most common cause of diseases in honey bee colonies. In this study, we demonstrate that pollen grains and bee bread are potential sources of viral DNA. We extracted DNA [...] Read more.
Among many pathogens and pests, honey bee viruses are known as one of the most common cause of diseases in honey bee colonies. In this study, we demonstrate that pollen grains and bee bread are potential sources of viral DNA. We extracted DNA from 3 types of pollen samples: directly provided by beekeepers (n = 12), purchased from trade markets (n = 5), and obtained from honeycombs (bee bread, n = 10). The extracted DNA was used for molecular detection (RT-PCR analysis) of six of the most widely distributed honey bee viruses: deformed wing virus, sacbrood virus, acute bee paralysis virus, black queen cell virus, Kashmir bee virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus, and chronic bee paralysis virus. We successfully managed to establish only the deformed wing virus (DWV) and the sacbrood virus (SBV), with different distribution frequencies depending on the territory of the country. The phylogenetic analyses of Bulgarian isolates were performed with the most similar sequences available in molecular databases from other countries. Phylogenies of Bulgarian viral strains demonstrated genetically heterogeneous populations of DWV and relatively homogenous populations of SBV. In conclusion, the results obtained from the current study have shown that pollen is a valuable source for molecular detection of honey bee pathogens. This allows epidemiological monitoring of honey bee diseases at a regional and a national level. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2024, 2023

14 pages, 1516 KiB  
Article
A Reciprocal Transplant Experiment Confirmed Mite-Resistance in a Honey Bee Population from Uruguay
by Yamandú Mendoza, Estela Santos, Sabrina Clavijo-Baquett and Ciro Invernizzi
Vet. Sci. 2022, 9(11), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9110596 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1909
Abstract
In the past few years there has been an increasing interest for the study of honey bee populations that are naturally resistant to the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, aiming to identify the mechanisms that allow the bees to limit the reproduction of [...] Read more.
In the past few years there has been an increasing interest for the study of honey bee populations that are naturally resistant to the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, aiming to identify the mechanisms that allow the bees to limit the reproduction of the mite. In eastern Uruguay there are still bees resistant to mites that survive without acaricides. In order to determine if the differential resistance to V. destructor was maintained in other environments, a reciprocal transplant experiment was performed between the mite-resistant bee colonies and the mite-susceptible bee colonies from the east and the west of the country, respectively, infesting bees with local mites. In both regions, the mite-resistant colonies expressed a higher hygienic behavior and presented a higher phoretic mites/reproductive mites and mites in drone cells/mites in worker cells ratio than the mite-susceptible colonies. All the mite-susceptible colonies died during fall–winter, while a considerable number of mite-resistant colonies survived until spring, especially in the east of the country. This study shows that the bees in the east of the country maintain in good measure the resistance to V. destructor in other regions and leaves open the possibility that the mites of the two populations have biases in the reproductive behavior. Full article
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