title: Parasite-insecticide interactions: a case study of Nosema ceranae and fipronil synergy on honeybee.
abstract: In ecosystems, a variety of biological, chemical and physical stressors may act in combination to induce illness in populations of living organisms. While recent surveys reported that parasite-insecticide interactions can synergistically and negatively affect honeybee survival, the importance of sequence in exposure to stressors has hardly received any attention. In this work, Western honeybees (Apis mellifera) were sequentially or simultaneously infected by the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae and chronically exposed to a sublethal dose of the insecticide fipronil, respectively chosen as biological and chemical stressors. Interestingly, every combination tested led to a synergistic effect on honeybee survival, with the most significant impacts when stressors were applied at the emergence of honeybees. Our study presents significant outcomes on beekeeping management but also points out the potential risks incurred by any living organism frequently exposed to both pathogens and insecticides in their habitat.
authors.affiliation: Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Laboratoire "Microorganismes : Génome et Environnement", BP 10448, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aufauvre
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vidau
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fontbonne
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roudel
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diogon
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Viguès
authors.forename: Luc P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Belzunces
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Delbac
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007306:Insecticides; D016818:Nosema / Q000502:physiology*; D011720:Pyrazoles
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D011720:Pyrazoles; C082360:fipronil