title: South American native bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) infected by Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia), an emerging pathogen of honeybees (Apis mellifera).
abstract: As pollination is a critical process in both human-managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems, pollinators provide essential services to both nature and humans. Pollination is mainly due to the action of different insects, such as the bumblebee and the honeybee. These important ecological and economic roles have led to widespread concern over the recent decline in pollinator populations that has been detected in many regions of the world. While this decline has been attributed in some cases to changes in the use of agricultural land, the effects of parasites could play a significant role in the reduction of these populations. For the first time, we describe here the presence of Nosema ceranae, an emerging honeybee pathogen, in three species of Argentine native bumblebees. A total of 455 bumblebees belonging to six species of genus Bombus were examined. PCR results showed that three of the species are positive to N. ceranae (Bombus atratus, Bombus morio and Bombus bellicosus). We discuss the appearance of this pathogen in the context of the population decline of this pollinators.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), CIC - CCT La Plata - CONICET - UNLP, calle 2 # 584, (1900), La Plata, Argentina. Bee Pathology Laboratory, Centro Apícola Regional, JCCM, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain. Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales (IUICP). Comisaría General de Policía Científica (Forensic Police). DNA Laboratory, Madrid, Spain. CONICET-UNLP. Laboratorio de Apidología, División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900, La Plata, Argentina. Animal Health Department, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas (CIC), Buenos Aires province, Argentina.
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plischuk
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martín-Hernández
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucía
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Botías
authors.forename: Aránzazu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meana
authors.forename: Alberto H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Abrahamovich
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higes