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Plischuk S, Quintana S, Fernandez De Landa G, Revainera PD, Haramboure M, Lange CE. Detection of Apicystis bombi (Apicomplexa: Neogregarinorida) in carpenter bees of Argentina. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 21:43-46. [PMID: 37124671 PMCID: PMC10133405 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Historically, the neogregarine Apicystis bombi was isolated almost exclusively from bumble bees (Bombus spp.) where it disrupts adipose tissue, increasing hosts' mortality rates. Records in solitary bees are scarce worldwide. To check for its presence in carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa), campaigns were performed in Argentina capturing 154 individuals of five species (X. augusti, X. splendidula, X. atamisquensis, X. frontalis, X. nigrocincta). The presence of A. bombi was detected by molecular means in X. augusti, X. atamisquensis, and X. nigrocincta in four of the nine provinces screened. The pathogenesis and eventual impact that A. bombi may cause in individuals or populations of Xylocopa species remain unknown. The presence of A. bombi in northern Argentina would be contradictory to the hypothesis that its occurrence is the exclusive result of its introduction to South America through invasive, infected exotic bumble bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Plischuk
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE) (CONICET-UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
- Corresponding author. CEPAVE, Boulevard 120 s/n, (1900) La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Silvina Quintana
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente - IIPROSAM (CONICET-UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Gregorio Fernandez De Landa
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente - IIPROSAM (CONICET-UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Pablo Damián Revainera
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente - IIPROSAM (CONICET-UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Marina Haramboure
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE) (CONICET-UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
- Agronutris, Saint Orens de Gameville, France
| | - Carlos Ernesto Lange
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE) (CONICET-UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
- Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC-PBA), Argentina
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Marceau T, Archer CR, Bulson L, Wilfert L. Dose-dependent effects of antibiotic intake on Bombus Terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) dietary intake, survival and parasite infection prevalence. J Invertebr Pathol 2021; 182:107580. [PMID: 33757819 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2021.107580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Diseases may contribute to the widespread declines seen in many bee species. The gut bacteria of bees may serve as one defence against disease, by preventing pathogen colonisation. However, exposure to antibiotics on forage or in the hive may disrupt bee gut bacteria and remove this protective effect. A number of studies show that high antibiotic doses reduce bee health but the effects of field-realistic antibiotic doses remain unclear. Here, we test how Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) is affected by multiple field-realistic concentrations of the antibiotic oxytetracycline, which is sometimes used to protect flowering crops from bacterial infections. We measured survival, feeding behaviour and the likelihood of developing infection with the gut parasitic trypanosome Crithidia bombi Lipa & Triggiani, 1988 following oral inoculation with a range of antibiotic doses. Rising antibiotic concentrations were associated with reduced survival and food consumption, and an increased likelihood of becoming infected with C. bombi. These effects were seen at antibiotic concentrations that are applied to crops and so may be encountered by foraging bees in the field. These results support the hypothesis that field-realistic antibiotic doses have lethal and sub-lethal effects on B. terrestris and highlight the importance of improving our understanding of how field-realistic antibiotic doses affect pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Marceau
- College of Life and Environment Sciences, Tremough Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 8FL, UK
| | - C Ruth Archer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Laura Bulson
- College of Life and Environment Sciences, Tremough Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 8FL, UK.
| | - Lena Wilfert
- College of Life and Environment Sciences, Tremough Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 8FL, UK; Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
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Lima dos Santos SJ, Barbosa BC, Detoni M, Dias RJP, Prezoto F. First record of eugregarines (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinorida) parasitizing the neotropical social wasp Polistes versicolor (Vespidae: Polistinae) in Brazil. STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/01650521.2021.1897380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Júlio Lima dos Santos
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Bioacústica (LABEC), Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | - Bruno Corrêa Barbosa
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Bioacústica (LABEC), Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | - Mateus Detoni
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Roberto Júnio Pedroso Dias
- Laboratório de Protozoologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | - Fabio Prezoto
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Bioacústica (LABEC), Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
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Schoonvaere K, Brunain M, Baeke F, De Bruyne M, De Rycke R, de Graaf DC. Comparison between Apicystis cryptica sp. n. and Apicystis bombi (Arthrogregarida, Apicomplexa): Gregarine parasites that cause fat body hypertrophism in bees. Eur J Protistol 2020; 73:125688. [PMID: 32143143 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2020.125688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The molecular divergence, morphology and pathology of a cryptic gregarine that is related to the bee parasite Apicystis bombi Lipa and Triggiani, 1996 is described. The 18S ribosomal DNA gene sequence of the new gregarine was equally dissimilar to that of A. bombi and the closest related genus Mattesia Naville, 1930, although phylogenetic analysis supported a closer relation to A. bombi. Pronounced divergence with A. bombi was found in the ITS1 sequence (69.6% similarity) and seven protein-coding genes (nucleotide 78.05% and protein 90.2% similarity). The new gregarine was isolated from a Bombus pascuorum Scopoli, 1763 female and caused heavy hypertrophism of the fat body tissue in its host. In addition, infected cells of the hypopharyngeal gland tissue, an important excretory organ of the host, were observed. Mature oocysts were navicular in shape and contained four sporozoites, similar to A. bombi oocysts. Given these characteristics, we proposed the name Apicystis cryptica sp. n. Detections so far indicated that distribution and host species occupation of Apicystis spp. overlap at least in Europe, and that historical detections could not discriminate between them. Specific molecular assays were developed that can be implemented in future pathogen screens that aim to discriminate Apicystis spp. in bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karel Schoonvaere
- Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 Block S2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marleen Brunain
- Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 Block S2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Femke Baeke
- Department for Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent University Expertise Centre for Transmission Electron Microscopy and VIB BioImaging Core, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Michiel De Bruyne
- Department for Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent University Expertise Centre for Transmission Electron Microscopy and VIB BioImaging Core, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Riet De Rycke
- Department for Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent University Expertise Centre for Transmission Electron Microscopy and VIB BioImaging Core, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dirk C de Graaf
- Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 Block S2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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Maggi M, Quintana S, Revainera PD, Porrini LP, Meroi Arcerito FR, Fernández de Landa G, Brasesco C, Di Gerónimo V, Ruffinengo SR, Eguaras MJ. Biotic Stressors Affecting Key Apiaries in Argentina. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/0005772x.2019.1699007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matías Maggi
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - Silvina Quintana
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Análisis Fares Taie, Mar Del Plata, Argentine
| | - Pablo D. Revainera
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Análisis Fares Taie, Mar Del Plata, Argentine
| | - Leonardo Pablo Porrini
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - Facundo René Meroi Arcerito
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - G. Fernández de Landa
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT), Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - Constanza Brasesco
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - V. Di Gerónimo
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Análisis Fares Taie, Mar Del Plata, Argentine
| | - Sergio Roberto Ruffinengo
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - Martín Javier Eguaras
- Centro de Investigación en Abejas Sociales (CIAS), Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentine
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The effects of single and mixed infections of Apicystis bombi and deformed wing virus in Bombus terrestris. Parasitology 2015; 143:358-65. [PMID: 26646676 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182015001614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Many pollinators are currently suffering from declines, diminishing their gene pool and increasing their vulnerability to parasites. Recently, an increasing diversity of parasites has been recorded in bumblebees, yet for many, knowledge of their virulence and hence the risk their presence poses, is lacking. The deformed wing virus (DWV), known to be ubiquitous in honey bees, has now been detected in bumblebees. In addition, the neogregarine Apicystis bombi has been discovered to be more prevalent than previously thought. Here, we assess for the first time the lethal and sublethal effects of these parasites during single and mixed infections of worker bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). Fifteen days after experimental exposure, 22% of bees exposed to A. bombi, 50% of bees exposed to DWV and 86% of bees exposed to both parasites had died. Bumblebees that had ingested A. bombi had increased sucrose sensitivity (SS) and a lower lipid:body size ratio than control bees. While dual infected bumblebees showed no increase in SS. Overall, we find that A. bombi exhibits both lethal and sublethal effects. DWV causes lethal effect and may reduce the sub lethal effects imposed by A. bombi. The results show that both parasites have significant, negative effects on bumblebee health, making them potentially of conservation concern.
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Graystock P, Goulson D, Hughes WOH. Parasites in bloom: flowers aid dispersal and transmission of pollinator parasites within and between bee species. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20151371. [PMID: 26246556 PMCID: PMC4632632 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The dispersal of parasites is critical for epidemiology, and the interspecific vectoring of parasites when species share resources may play an underappreciated role in parasite dispersal. One of the best examples of such a situation is the shared use of flowers by pollinators, but the importance of flowers and interspecific vectoring in the dispersal of pollinator parasites is poorly understood and frequently overlooked. Here, we use an experimental approach to show that during even short foraging periods of 3 h, three bumblebee parasites and two honeybee parasites were dispersed effectively onto flowers by their hosts, and then vectored readily between flowers by non-host pollinator species. The results suggest that flowers are likely to be hotspots for the transmission of pollinator parasites and that considering potential vector, as well as host, species will be of general importance for understanding the distribution and transmission of parasites in the environment and between pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dave Goulson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
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Arretz PV, Macfarlane RP. The Introduction ofBombus Ruderatusto Chile for Red Clover Pollination. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/0005772x.1986.11098855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Schmid-Hempel R, Eckhardt M, Goulson D, Heinzmann D, Lange C, Plischuk S, Escudero LR, Salathé R, Scriven JJ, Schmid-Hempel P. The invasion of southern South America by imported bumblebees and associated parasites. J Anim Ecol 2014; 83:823-37. [PMID: 24256429 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The Palaearctic Bombus ruderatus (in 1982/1983) and Bombus terrestris (1998) have both been introduced into South America (Chile) for pollination purposes. We here report on the results of sampling campaigns in 2004, and 2010-2012 showing that both species have established and massively expanded their range. Bombus terrestris, in particular, has spread by some 200 km year(-1) and had reached the Atlantic coast in Argentina by the end of 2011. Both species, and especially B. terrestris, are infected by protozoan parasites that seem to spread along with the imported hosts and spillover to native species. Genetic analyses by polymorphic microsatellite loci suggest that the host population of B. terrestris is genetically diverse, as expected from a large invading founder population, and structured through isolation by distance. Genetically, the populations of the trypanosomatid parasite, Crithidia bombi, sampled in 2004 are less diverse, and distinct from the ones sampled later. Current C. bombi populations are highly heterozygous and also structured through isolation by distance correlating with the genetic distances of B. terrestris, suggesting the latter's expansion to be a main structuring factor for the parasite. Remarkably, wherever B. terrestris spreads, the native Bombus dahlbomii disappears although the reasons remain unclear. Our ecological and genetic data suggest a major invasion event that is currently unfolding in southern South America with disastrous consequences for the native bumblebee species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regula Schmid-Hempel
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH-Zentrum CHN, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Eckhardt
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH-Zentrum CHN, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - David Goulson
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Daniel Heinzmann
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH-Zentrum CHN, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Carlos Lange
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), CCT La Plata CONICET-UNLP, Comisión de Investigaciones Cientificas de la provincia de Buenos Aires (CICPBA), Calle 2 # 584, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Santiago Plischuk
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), CCT La Plata CONICET-UNLP, Comisión de Investigaciones Cientificas de la provincia de Buenos Aires (CICPBA), Calle 2 # 584, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Luisa R Escudero
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universita Católica de Valparaíso, Avda. Brasil, 2950, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Rahel Salathé
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH-Zentrum CHN, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jessica J Scriven
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Paul Schmid-Hempel
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH-Zentrum CHN, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
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Maharramov J, Meeus I, Maebe K, Arbetman M, Morales C, Graystock P, Hughes WOH, Plischuk S, Lange CE, de Graaf DC, Zapata N, de la Rosa JJP, Murray TE, Brown MJF, Smagghe G. Genetic variability of the neogregarine Apicystis bombi, an etiological agent of an emergent bumblebee disease. PLoS One 2013; 8:e81475. [PMID: 24324696 PMCID: PMC3855659 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The worldwide spread of diseases is considered a major threat to biodiversity and a possible driver of the decline of pollinator populations, particularly when novel species or strains of parasites emerge. Previous studies have suggested that populations of introduced European honeybee (Apis mellifera) and bumblebee species (Bombus terrestris and Bombus ruderatus) in Argentina share the neogregarine parasite Apicystis bombi with the native bumblebee (Bombus dahlbomii). In this study we investigated whether A. bombi is acting as an emergent parasite in the non-native populations. Specifically, we asked whether A. bombi, recently identified in Argentina, was introduced by European, non-native bees. Using ITS1 and ITS2 to assess the parasite's intraspecific genetic variation in bees from Argentina and Europe, we found a largely unstructured parasite population, with only 15% of the genetic variation being explained by geographic location. The most abundant haplotype in Argentina (found in all 9 specimens of non-native species) was identical to the most abundant haplotype in Europe (found in 6 out of 8 specimens). Similarly, there was no evidence of structuring by host species, with this factor explaining only 17% of the genetic variation. Interestingly, parasites in native Bombus ephippiatus from Mexico were genetically distant from the Argentine and European samples, suggesting that sufficient variability does exist in the ITS region to identify continent-level genetic structure in the parasite. Thus, the data suggest that A. bombi from Argentina and Europe share a common, relatively recent origin. Although our data did not provide information on the direction of transfer, the absence of genetic structure across space and host species suggests that A. bombi may be acting as an emergent infectious disease across bee taxa and continents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jafar Maharramov
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ivan Meeus
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kevin Maebe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marina Arbetman
- Laboratorio Ecotono, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Sede Andina, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Carolina Morales
- Laboratorio Ecotono, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Peter Graystock
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | | | - Santiago Plischuk
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Carlos E. Lange
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Dirk C. de Graaf
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nelson Zapata
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán, Chile
| | | | - Tomás E. Murray
- Department of Zoology, Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Mark J. F. Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Plischuk S, Meeus I, Smagghe G, Lange CE. Apicystis bombi (Apicomplexa: Neogregarinorida) parasitizing Apis mellifera and Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Argentina. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2011; 3:565-568. [PMID: 23761336 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2011.00261.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The neogregarine Apicystis bombi is considered a low prevalence parasite of Bombus spp. Before our work it has only once been detected in one single specimen of the Western honeybee Apis mellifera. This contribution reports the presence of A. bombi parasitizing both A. mellifera and Bombus terrestris at a site in Northwestern Argentine Patagonia (Bariloche, close to the border with Chile) and analyses its possible absence in the Pampas region, the most important beekeeping region of the country. In Bariloche, prevalence of A. bombi in A. mellifera was 7.6% in 2009, and 13.6% in 2010, whereas in B. terrestris it was 12.1%. Infections were not detected in 302 bee hives periodically prospected along 3 years (almost 400 000 honeybee specimens) in the Pampas. Analysis with the probability program FreeCalc2 suggested a possible absence of A. bombi in this area. Because of high virulence showed in several species of Bombus in the Northern hemisphere, A. bombi should be closely monitored in A. mellifera and in native Bombus species or other Apidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Plischuk
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores - CEPAVE (CCTLP CONICET-UNLP-CIC) La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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JOUVENAZ DP, ANTHONY DW. Mattesia geminatasp. n. (Neogregarinida: Ophrocystidae) a Parasite of the Tropical Fire Ant,Solenopsis geminata(Fabricius)*. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1979.tb04636.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Parasitism in a social wasp: effect of gregarines on foraging behavior, colony productivity, and adult mortality. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-005-0028-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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15
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Pereira RM, Williams DF, Becnel JJ, Oi DH. Yellow-head disease caused by a newly discovered Mattesia sp. in populations of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. J Invertebr Pathol 2002; 81:45-8. [PMID: 12417212 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2011(02)00116-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto M Pereira
- USDA-ARS, CMAVE, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, P.O. Box 14565, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
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