| two ascomycete classes based on fruiting-body characters and ribosomal dna sequence. | traditional fruiting body-based classification of ascomycetes has been under attack for 2 decades. fruiting-body types can converge, and few researchers now assume that either the closed fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) characterizing the class plectomycetes or the flask-shaped fruiting bodies (perithecia) characterizing the class pyrenomycetes are stable, unifying characters. unless we identify characters uniting major ascomycete groups, orders of ascomycetes remain narrowly defined, and supraor ... | 1992 | 1560763 |
| inhibition of the growth of ascosphaera apis by bacillus and paenibacillus strains isolated from honey. | the fungus ascosphaera apis, the causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honeybee larvae, occurs throughout the world and is found in many beekeeping areas of argentina. the potential as biocontrol agents of 249 aerobic spore-forming bacterial antagonists isolated from honey samples was evaluated. each isolate was screened against a. apis by a central disk test assay. ten bacterial strains that showed the best antagonistic effect to a. apis were selected for further study and identified as baci ... | 2004 | 15174751 |
| assessment of losses in honey yield due to the chalkbrood disease, with reference to the determination of its economic injury levels in egypt. | in egypt, the chalk brood (chb) disease caused by the fungus, ascosphaera apis maassen started again infesting the honeybee, apis melifera l (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies after a cessation pause of seven to nine years. for the first time, an attempt has been made to look into the problem of the chb disease from the view point of assessing losses in both clover (trifolium alexandrinum) and chinus (chinus molus) honey yields. in this regard, two techniques were adopted. under the natural conditio ... | 2005 | 16628907 |
| genome sequences of the honey bee pathogens paenibacillus larvae and ascosphaera apis. | genome sequences offer a broad view of host-pathogen interactions at the systems biology level. with the completion of the sequence of the honey bee, interest in the relevant pathogens is heightened. here we report the genome sequences of two of the major pathogens of honey bees, the bacterium paenibacillus larvae (causative agent for american foulbrood disease) and the fungus ascosphaera apis. (causative agent for chalkbrood disease). ongoing efforts to characterize the genomes of these species ... | 2006 | 17069642 |
| high mobility group (hmg-box) genes in the honeybee fungal pathogen ascosphaera apis. | the genome of the honeybee fungal pathogen ascosphaera apis (maassen) encodes three putative high mobility group (hmg-box) transcription factors. the predicted proteins (mat1-2, ste11 and htf), each of which contain a single strongly conserved hmg-box, exhibit high similarity to mating type proteins and ste11-like transcription factors previously identified in other ascomycete fungi, some of them important plant and human pathogens. in this study we characterized the a. apis hmg-box containing g ... | 2007 | 18065006 |
| inhibition of paenibacillus larvae and ascosphaera apis by bacillus subtilis isolated from honeybee gut and honey samples. | three bacillus strains isolated from honey samples and bee gut were pre-selected for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against paenibacillus larvae and ascosphaera apis, important honeybee pathogens. the analysis of their 16s rrna sequences revealed that c4, m1 and g2iii strains belong to the subtilis species. surfactin synthesis was verified by ir spectroscopy and hplc studies. surfactin inhibited p. larvae but it failed to affect a. apis. vegetative cells of p. larvae were affected as soon ... | 2009 | 19358885 |
| temperature dependent virulence of obligate and facultative fungal pathogens of honeybee brood. | chalkbrood (ascosphaera apis) and stonebrood (aspergillus flavus) are well known fungal brood diseases of honeybees (apis mellifera), but they have hardly been systematically studied because the difficulty of rearing larvae in vitro has precluded controlled experimentation. chalkbrood is a chronic honeybee-specific disease that can persist in colonies for years, reducing both brood and honey production, whereas stonebrood is a rare facultative pathogen that also affects hosts other than honeybee ... | 2010 | 21050682 |
| potential of ozone as a fumigant to control pests in honey bee (hymenoptera: apidae) hives. | ozone is a powerful oxidant capable of killing insects and microorganisms, and eliminating odors, taste, and color. thus, it could be useful as a fumigant to decontaminate honey comb between uses. the experiments here are intended to determine the exposure levels required to kill an insect pest and spore forming bee pathogens. ozone was effective against greater wax moth, galleria mellonella (l.) (lepidoptera: pyralidae), even on naturally infested comb. neonates and adults were the easiest life ... | 2011 | 21510179 |
| transcriptional responses in honey bee larvae infected with chalkbrood fungus. | diseases and other stress factors working synergistically weaken honey bee health and may play a major role in the losses of bee populations in recent years. among a large number of bee diseases, chalkbrood has been on the rise. we present here the experimental identification of honey bee genes that are differentially expressed in response to infection of honey bee larvae with the chalkbrood fungus, ascosphaera apis. | 2010 | 20565973 |
| comparison of antifungal activity of extracts from different juglans regia cultivars and juglone. | this study discusses the similarities and differences between the antifungal activity of extracts from walnut green husks of lake, koszycki, uo1, uo2 and non-grafted cultivars as well as juglone against the plant pathogenic fungi such as alternaria alternata, rhizoctonia solani, botrytis cinerea, fusarium culmorum, phytophthora infestans as well as ascosphaera apis causing chalkbrood disease in honey bees. the obtained data show that the antifungal activities of the extracts do not always depend ... | 2016 | 27744101 |
| stonebrood and chalkbrood in apis mellifera causing fungi: in vitro sensitivity to some essential oils. | aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antimycotic activity of 17 chemically defined essential oils (eos) both alone and as a mixture, against agents responsible for stonebrood caused by aspergillus flavus, and chalkbrood caused by ascosphaera apis in european honeybees. cinnamomum zeylanicum yielded the lowest mic value against a. flavus, but was not effective against a. apis, while litsea cubeba and pelargonium graveolens appeared to be effective against all checked fungi. asper ... | 2017 | 28326846 |
| host-parasite genotypic interactions in the honey bee: the dynamics of diversity. | parasites are thought to be a major driving force shaping genetic variation in their host, and are suggested to be a significant reason for the maintenance of sexual reproduction. a leading hypothesis for the occurrence of multiple mating (polyandry) in social insects is that the genetic diversity generated within-colonies through this behavior promotes disease resistance. this benefit is likely to be particularly significant when colonies are exposed to multiple species and strains of parasites ... | 2013 | 23919163 |
| the ability to cause infection in a pathogenic fungus uncovers a new biological feature of honey bee viruses. | we demonstrated that honey bee viruses including deformed wing virus (dwv), black queen cell virus (bqcv) and israeli acute paralysis virus (iapv) could infect and replicate in the fungal pathogen ascosphaera apis that causes honey bee chalkbrood disease, revealing a novel biological feature of honey bee viruses. the phylogenetic analysis show that viruses of fungal and honey bee origins form two clusters in the phylogenetic trees distinctly and that host range of honey bee viruses is dynamic. f ... | 2014 | 24825460 |
| isolation of arginine kinase from apis cerana cerana and its possible involvement in response to adverse stress. | arginine kinases (ak) in invertebrates play the same role as creatine kinases in vertebrates. both proteins are important for energy metabolism, and previous studies on ak focused on this attribute. in this study, the arginine kinase gene was isolated from apis cerana cerana and was named accak. a 5'-flanking region was also cloned and shown to contain abundant putative binding sites for transcription factors related to development and response to adverse stress. we imitated several abiotic and ... | 2015 | 25135575 |
| the prevalence of the honeybee brood pathogens ascosphaera apis, paenibacillus larvae and melissococcus plutonius in spanish apiaries determined with a new multiplex pcr assay. | the microorganisms ascosphaera apis, paenibacillus larvae and melissococcus plutonius are the three most important pathogens that affect honeybee brood. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of these pathogens in honeybee colonies and to elucidate their role in the honeybee colony losses in spain. in order to get it, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay was developed to simultaneously amplify the16s ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rrna) gene of p. larvae and m. plu ... | 2013 | 23919248 |
| 3-acyl dihydroflavonols from poplar resins collected by honey bees are active against the bee pathogens paenibacillus larvae and ascosphaera apis. | honey bees, apis mellifera, collect antimicrobial plant resins from the environment and deposit them in their nests as propolis. this behavior is of practical concern to beekeepers since the presence of propolis in the hive has a variety of benefits, including the suppression of disease symptoms. to connect the benefits that bees derive from propolis with particular resinous plants, we determined the identity and botanical origin of propolis compounds active against bee pathogens using bioassay- ... | 2017 | 28258722 |
| regional variation in composition and antimicrobial activity of us propolis against paenibacillus larvae and ascosphaera apis. | propolis is a substance derived from antimicrobial plant resins that honey bees use in the construction of their nests. propolis use in the hive is an important component of honey bee social immunity and confers a number of positive physiological benefits to bees. the benefits that bees derive from resins are mostly due to their antimicrobial properties, but it is unknown how the diversity of antimicrobial activities among resins might impact bee health. in our previous work, we found that resin ... | 2015 | 25450740 |
| in vitro inhibitory activity of essential oil vapors against ascosphaera apis. | this work evaluates the in vitro inhibitory activity of 70 essential oils (eos) in the vapor phase for the control of chalkbrood disease caused by ascosphaera apis maassen ex claussen (olive et spiltoir). two wild strains isolated from infected honey bee colonies together with one standard collection strain were tested by the microatmosphere method. from 70 eos, 39 exhibited an antifungal effect against a. apis standard and wild strains. the greatest antifungal action was observed for eo vapors ... | 2012 | 22474973 |
| first detection of the larval chalkbrood disease pathogen ascosphaera apis (ascomycota: eurotiomycetes: ascosphaerales) in adult bumble bees. | fungi in the genus ascosphaera (ascomycota: eurotiomycetes: ascosphaerales) cause chalkbrood disease in larvae of bees. here, we report the first-ever detection of the fungus in adult bumble bees that were raised in captivity for studies on colony development. wild queens of bombus griseocollis, b. nevadensis and b. vosnesenskii were collected and maintained for establishment of nests. queens that died during rearing or that did not lay eggs within one month of capture were dissected, and tissue ... | 2015 | 25885679 |
| shsp22.6, an intronless small heat shock protein gene, is involved in stress defence and development in apis cerana cerana. | small heat shock proteins (shsps) play an important role in protecting against stress-induced cell damage and fundamental physiological processes. in this study, we identified an intronless shsp gene from apis cerana cerana (accshsp22.6). the open reading frame of accshsp22.6 was 585 bp and encoded a 194 amino acid protein. furthermore, a 2064 bp 5'-flanking region was isolated, and potential transcription factor binding sites associated with development and stress response were identified. quan ... | 2014 | 25008786 |
| macelignan inhibits bee pathogenic fungi ascophaera apis growth through hog1 pathway. | ascosphaera apis is a bee pathogen that causes bee larvae infection disease, to which treatment is not yet well investigated. the aim of this study was to investigate antifungal susceptibility in vitro against a. apis and to identify a new antifungal agent for this pathogen through minimal inhibitory concentration (mic) assay and western blot analysis. macelignan had 1.56 and 3.125 μg/ml mic against a. apis after 24 and 48 h, respectively, exhibiting the strongest growth inhibition against a. ap ... | 2016 | 27383123 |
| mixed infections reveal virulence differences between host-specific bee pathogens. | dynamics of host-pathogen interactions are complex, often influencing the ecology, evolution and behavior of both the host and pathogen. in the natural world, infections with multiple pathogens are common, yet due to their complexity, interactions can be difficult to predict and study. mathematical models help facilitate our understanding of these evolutionary processes, but empirical data are needed to test model assumptions and predictions. we used two common theoretical models regarding mixed ... | 2015 | 25982695 |
| ascosphaera apis, the entomopathogenic fungus affecting larvae of native bees (xylocopa augusti): first report in south america. | nowadays several invertebrate pollinators of crops and wild plants are in decline as result of multiple and, sometimes, unknown factors; among them, the modern agricultural practices, pests and diseases are postulated as the most important factors. bees of the genus xylocopa are considered effective pollinators of passion fruit crops in tropical regions, as well as important pollinators in wild plants, but these bees are attacked by several pathogens that affect different stages in their life cy ... | 2015 | 25959551 |
| genetic diversity, virulence and fitness evolution in an obligate fungal parasite of bees. | within-host competition is predicted to drive the evolution of virulence in parasites, but the precise outcomes of such interactions are often unpredictable due to many factors including the biology of the host and the parasite, stochastic events and co-evolutionary interactions. here, we use a serial passage experiment (spe) with three strains of a heterothallic fungal parasite (ascosphaera apis) of the honey bee (apis mellifera) to assess how evolving under increasing competitive pressure affe ... | 2015 | 25407685 |
| standard methods for fungal brood disease research. | chalkbrood and stonebrood are two fungal diseases associated with honey bee brood. chalkbrood, caused by ascosphaera apis, is a common and widespread disease that can result in severe reduction of emerging worker bees and thus overall colony productivity. stonebrood is caused by aspergillus spp. that are rarely observed, so the impact on colony health is not very well understood. a major concern with the presence of aspergillus in honey bees is the production of airborne conidia, which can lead ... | 2013 | 24198438 |
| evaluation of lysozyme-hcl for the treatment of chalkbrood disease in honey bee colonies. | chalkbrood, caused by ascosphaera apis (maassen and claussen) olive and spiltor, is a cosmopolitan fungal disease of honey bee larvae (apis mellifera l.) for which there is no chemotherapeutic control. we evaluated the efficacy of lysozyme-hcl, an inexpensive food-grade antimicrobial extracted from hen egg white, for the treatment of chalkbrood disease in honey bee colonies. our study compared three doses of lysozyme-hcl in sugar syrup (600, 3,000, and 6,000 mg) administered weekly for 3 wk amon ... | 2012 | 23356049 |
| variable virulence among isolates of ascosphaera apis: testing the parasite-pathogen hypothesis for the evolution of polyandry in social insects. | the queens of many eusocial insect species are polyandrous. the evolution of polyandry from ancestral monoandry is intriguing because polyandry undermines the kin-selected benefits of high intracolonial relatedness that are understood to have been central to the evolution of eusociality. an accumulating body of evidence suggests that polyandry evolved from monoandry in part because genetically diverse colonies better resist infection by pathogens. however, a core assumption of the "parasite-path ... | 2013 | 23340580 |
| transcriptome analysis of the honey bee fungal pathogen, ascosphaera apis: implications for host pathogenesis. | we present a comprehensive transcriptome analysis of the fungus ascosphaera apis, an economically important pathogen of the western honey bee (apis mellifera) that causes chalkbrood disease. our goals were to further annotate the a. apis reference genome and to identify genes that are candidates for being differentially expressed during host infection versus axenic culture. | 2012 | 22747707 |
| polymorphic dna sequences of the fungal honey bee pathogen ascosphaera apis. | the pathogenic fungus ascosphaera apis is ubiquitous in honey bee populations. we used the draft genome assembly of this pathogen to search for polymorphic intergenic loci that could be used to differentiate haplotypes. primers were developed for five such loci, and the species specificities were verified using dna from nine closely related species. the sequence variation was compared among 12 a. apis isolates at each of these loci, and two additional loci, the internal transcribed spacer of the ... | 2012 | 22309373 |
| genetic variation in virulence among chalkbrood strains infecting honeybees. | ascosphaera apis causes chalkbrood in honeybees, a chronic disease that reduces the number of viable offspring in the nest. although lethal for larvae, the disease normally has relatively low virulence at the colony level. a recent study showed that there is genetic variation for host susceptibility, but whether ascosphaera apis strains differ in virulence is unknown. we exploited a recently modified in vitro rearing technique to infect honeybee larvae from three colonies with naturally mated qu ... | 2011 | 21966406 |
| resistance to chalkbrood disease in apis mellifera l. (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies with different hygienic behaviour. | chalkbrood disease affects the larvae of honeybees apis mellifera l. and is caused by the fungus ascosphaera apis. infected larvae die when they are stretched in the cap cell and suffer a gradual hardening that ends in a very hard structure (mummie). several studies have demonstrated that colonies that express an efficient hygienic behaviour (uncapping of cell and subsequent removal of dead brood) exhibit a higher resistance to the disease. however, it remains unclear whether the advantage of hy ... | 2011 | 21437479 |
| chalkbrood disease in honey bees. | chalkbrood is a fungal disease of honey bee brood caused by ascosphaera apis. this disease is now found throughout the world, and there are indications that chalkbrood incidence may be on the rise. in this review we consolidate both historic knowledge and recent scientific findings. we document the worldwide spread of the fungus, which is aided by increased global travel and the migratory nature of many beekeeping operations. we discuss the current taxonomic classification in light of the recent ... | 2010 | 19909969 |
| odorants that induce hygienic behavior in honeybees: identification of volatile compounds in chalkbrood-infected honeybee larvae. | social insects that live in large colonies are vulnerable to disease transmission due to relatively high genetic relatedness among individuals and high rates of contact within and across generations. while individual insects rely on innate immune responses, groups of individuals also have evolved social immunity. hygienic behavior, in which individual honeybees detect chemical stimuli from diseased larvae and subsequently remove the diseased brood from the nest, is one type of social immunity th ... | 2009 | 19816752 |
| microsatellite loci for the fungus ascosphaera apis: cause of honey bee chalkbrood disease. | the fungus ascosphaera apis is a worldwide fungal pathogen of honey bees. to provide tools for understanding the dispersal history of this pathogen, strain differences in virulence, and host-pathogen interactions, we used the draft genome assembly of a. apis to develop microsatellite loci for this species. we present testing results for 25 scorable loci revealing two to eight alleles per locus in a survey of maryland isolates of this fungus. | 2009 | 21564768 |
| long-term storage of ascosphaera aggregata and ascosphaera apis, pathogens of the leafcutting bee (megachile rotundata) and the honey bee (apis mellifera). | survival rates of ascosphaera aggregata and ascosphaera apis over the course of a year were tested using different storage treatments. for spores, the storage methods tested were freeze-drying and ultra-low temperatures, and for hyphae, freeze-drying, agar slants, and two methods of ultra-low temperatures. spores of a. aggregata and a. apis stored well at -80 degrees c and after freeze-drying. a. aggregata hyphae did not store well under any of the methods tested while a. apis hyphae survived we ... | 2009 | 19332075 |
| the role of pollen in chalkbrood disease in apis mellifera: transmission and predisposing conditions. | chalkbrood in honeybees (apis mellifera l. himenoptera: apidae) is a fungal disease caused by ascosphaera apis (maassen ex claussen) olive and spiltoir. this disease requires the presence of fungal spores and a predisposing condition in the susceptible brood for the disease to develop. in this study we examined the role of pollen in the development of chalkbrood disease under two experimental conditions: (i) pollen combs were transferred from infected to uninfected beehives and (ii) colonies wer ... | 2006 | 16722211 |
| a novel approach for the management of the chalkbrood disease infesting honeybee apis mellifera l. (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies in egypt. | except for, very few articles regarding the influence of some organic acids on the causative pathogen, ascosphaera apis maassen, no other studies pertaining to the management of the chalkbrood disease were performed, so far in egypt. laboratory investigations indicated that the fungicides, i.e (galben c 46%, radomil gold pluse wp 42.5% and daconil 2787) at their recommended rates did not exert any effect on the mycelical growth of the fungus. therefore, these fungicides were completely excluded ... | 2005 | 16628894 |
| pcr diagnostic methods for ascosphaera infections in bees. | fungi in the genus ascosphaera are the causative agents of chalkbrood, a major disease affecting bee larval viability. identification of individual ascosphaera species based on morphological features has been difficult due to a lack of distinguishing characteristics. most identifications are based on the size and shape of the ascomata, spore balls and conidia. unfortunately, much overlap occurs in the size of these structures, and some ascosphaera species will not produce sexual structures in vi ... | 2005 | 16214164 |
| spores of ascosphaera apis contained in wax foundation can infect honeybee brood. | chalkbrood disease in honeybees (apis mellifera l.) is caused by an infection with ascosphaera apis. disease expression requires the consumption of fungal spores and a predisposing condition in the susceptible brood. a. apis spores within sheets of wax foundation could be a source of inoculum leading to chalkbrood, but it is also possible that these spores remain confined in the wax and do not contribute to disease. we have resolved this topic by chilling susceptible brood within wax combs built ... | 2005 | 15917141 |
| genetic diversity within honeybee colonies prevents severe infections and promotes colony growth. | multiple mating by social insect queens increases the genetic diversity among colony members, thereby reducing intracolony relatedness and lowering the potential inclusive fitness gains of altruistic workers. increased genetic diversity may be adaptive, however, by reducing the prevalence of disease within a nest. honeybees, whose queens have the highest levels of multiple mating among social insects, were investigated to determine whether genetic variation helps to prevent chronic infections. i ... | 2003 | 12596763 |
| [effects of temperature, relative humidity and ph on germination of chalkbrood fungus, ascosphaera apis spore]. | studies on the effects of environmental temperature, relative humidity and ph-value on the germination of ascosphaera apis spore at the stages of activation, enlargement and germ-tube production showed that the germination was found to be independent of temperature within the range of 15-40 degrees c was and 25-40 degrees c, respectively at the stage of activation and enlargement, but closely correlated with the temperature within the range of 25-37 degrees c at the stage of germ-tube production ... | 2000 | 11767561 |
| olfactory and behavioral response thresholds to odors of diseased blood differ between hygienic and non-hygienic honey bees (apis mellifera l.). | through the use of proboscis-extension reflex conditioning, we demonstrate that honey bees (apis mellifera l.) bred for hygienic behavior (a behavioral mechanism of disease resistance) are able to discriminate between odors of healthy and diseased brood at a lower stimulus level than bees from a non-hygienic line. electroantennogram recordings confirmed that hygienic bees exhibit increased olfactory sensitivity to low concentrations of the odor of chalkbrood infected pupae (a fungal disease caus ... | 2001 | 11548991 |
| fever in honeybee colonies. | honeybees, apis spp., maintain elevated temperatures inside their nests to accelerate brood development and to facilitate defense against predators. we present an additional defensive function of elevating nest temperature: honeybees generate a brood-comb fever in response to colonial infection by the heat-sensitive pathogen ascosphaera apis. this response occurs before larvae are killed, suggesting that either honeybee workers detect the infection before symptoms are visible, or that larvae com ... | 2000 | 10883439 |
| isolation and characterization of a linear plasmid from the entomopathogenic fungus ascosphaera apis. | an extrachromosomal dna plasmid was isolated from both mating types of the entomopathogenic fungus ascosphaera apis and named paal. the subculture in which paal was first identified originated from mummified honey bee larvae from an apiary in wyoming. very similar, homologous plasmids were found in 9 out of 10 of isolates collected from diverse geographic locations. the plasmid is found inside the mitochondria, has the same buoyant density as mitochondrial dna in bisbenzamide--cscl gradients, an ... | 1993 | 8441766 |
| in vitro evaluation of the effects of some plant essential oils on ascosphaera apis, the causative agent of chalkbrood disease. | ascosphaera apis is one of the major fungal pathogens of honey bee broods and the causative agent of chalkbrood disease. the factors responsible for the pathogenesis of chalkbrood disease are still not fully understood, and the increasing resistance of a. apis to commonly used antifungal agents necessitates a search for new agents to control this disease. the in vitro antifungal activities of 27 plant essential oils against two isolates of a. apis (aksu-4 and aksu-9) were evaluated. out of the 2 ... | 2017 | 28663695 |
| propolis counteracts some threats to honey bee health. | honey bees (apis mellifera) are constantly dealing with threats from pathogens, pests, pesticides and poor nutrition. it is critically important to understand how honey bees' natural immune responses (individual immunity) and collective behavioral defenses (social immunity) can improve bee health and productivity. one form of social immunity in honey bee colonies is the collection of antimicrobial plant resins and their use in the nest architecture as propolis. we review research on the constitu ... | 2017 | 28468244 |
| uncovering the immune responses of apis mellifera ligustica larval gut to ascosphaera apis infection utilizing transcriptome sequencing. | honeybees are susceptible to a variety of diseases, including chalkbrood, which is capable of causing huge losses of both the number of bees and colony productivity. this research is designed to characterize the transcriptome profiles of ascosphaera apis-treated and un-treated larval guts of apis mellifera ligustica in an attempt to unravel the molecular mechanism underlying the immune responses of western honeybee larval guts to mycosis. in this study, 24, 296 and 2157 genes were observed to be ... | 2017 | 28427951 |
| [ascosphaera apis, etiologic agent of chalk brood in bees]. | | 2010 | 20461300 |