Monika Ostap-Chec and Krzysztof Miler with co-authors published a new meta-analytical paper. The study investigates how nosemosis, caused by Nosema microsporidia, impacts honeybee survival.
Photo credit: Monika Ostap-Chec. Microsporidia from the honey bee gut seen under a light microscope. The single spore is cylindrical and iridescent.
The research involved an experiment comparing mortality rates between healthy honeybees and those infected with Nosema under controlled laboratory conditions. The results showed that infected bees were three times more likely to die than healthy ones. To better understand this disease's effects, 50 other studies from the available literature were reviewed, revealing a similar pattern of increased mortality in infected bees. Interestingly, the effect magnitude differed highly between studies, which was not explained by potential moderators such as the age of bees. This underscored that the effects of Nosema need further study.
Nosemosis is considered a significant threat to honeybees and the development of effective treatment strategies is crucial. Although laboratory studies are useful, they don’t always reflect real-world conditions. The authors highlight that to fully understand the effects of nosemosis and find ways to treat or prevent it, more studies are also needed in natural settings.
Check out the full paper here (open access).
Comments