Parasite resistance and tolerance in honeybees at the individual and social level.
Organisms living in large groups, such as social insects, are particularly vulnerable to parasite transmission. However, they have evolved diverse defence mechanisms which are not only restricted to the individual's immune response, but also include social defences. Here, we review cases of adaptations at the individual and social level in the honeybee Apis mellifera against the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and the endoparasitic microsporidians Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis. They are considered important threats to honeybee health worldwide. We highlight how individual resistance may result in tolerance at the colony level and vice versa.
Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany. Electronic address: christoph.kurze@zoologie.uni-halle.de.
Christoph
C
Kurze
Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany.
Jarkko
J
Routtu
Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 4, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany; German Institute for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Roper St., 0002 Pretoria, South Africa.
Robin F A
RF
Moritz
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D016818:Nosema / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D057077:Varroidae / Q000502:physiology*
Honeybee parasites; Innate immunity; Nosema; Social immunity; Varroa