Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Microsporidia: An Emerging Threat to Bumblebees?

2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 33; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.pt.2017.06.001

1471-5007

Mark J. F. Brown,

Plant and Fungal Interactions Research

Microsporidia may cause emerging infectious diseases in bumblebees. Nosema ceranae may be emerging into bumblebees from honey bees in Europe. Nosema bombi prevalence in declining North American bumblebees increased dramatically between 1995 and 2010. Repeated studies fail to identify phylogeographic patterns in Nosema spp. across bumblebee species. Microsporidia may cause emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in bumblebees. Two drivers – commercial bumblebees and managed honey bees – have been identified as possible sources of pathogen spillover. In addition, declines in bumblebee populations may have led to lower genetic diversity and subsequent higher susceptibility to infection, enabling microsporidia to increase in prevalence. There is strong evidence for relatively recent increases in the prevalence of Nosema bombi in North America. However, the lack of definitive data on spillover by microsporidia, in North America or elsewhere, makes it difficult to identify the causes of such increases. Phylogenomic studies are urgently needed to identify the global population structure of microsporidia in bumblebees, and thus identify the source of current and future epidemics. Microsporidia may cause emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in bumblebees. Two drivers – commercial bumblebees and managed honey bees – have been identified as possible sources of pathogen spillover. In addition, declines in bumblebee populations may have led to lower genetic diversity and subsequent higher susceptibility to infection, enabling microsporidia to increase in prevalence. There is strong evidence for relatively recent increases in the prevalence of Nosema bombi in North America. However, the lack of definitive data on spillover by microsporidia, in North America or elsewhere, makes it difficult to identify the causes of such increases. Phylogenomic studies are urgently needed to identify the global population structure of microsporidia in bumblebees, and thus identify the source of current and future epidemics. a disease, caused by a pathogen or parasite, that has recently or is currently increasing dramatically in prevalence, impact, host range, or geographical range. an insertion or deletion of base-pairs within a DNA sequence. a group of endocellular fungal parasites. a lack of dispersal by individuals from their birth site. single-nucleotide polymorphisms, where the base-pair differs at a given site across individuals within a species. transmission of a parasite from species A to species B, where the parasite increases dramatically in prevalence, and then transmits back into species A. transmission of a parasite or pathogen from one species to another.