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Diagnosis and molecular detection of Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbrood in honey bees in Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Apis mellifera jemenitica, the only indigenous honey bee race of Saudi Arabia, is well adapted to the harsh local environmental conditions. A large-scale feld survey was conducted to screen major Saudi Arabian beekeeping locations for infection by Paenibacillus larvae. Paenibacillus larvae is one of the major bacterial pathogens of honey bee broods and is the causative agent of American foulbrood disease. Larvae from samples suspected of infection were collected from different apiaries and homogenized in phosphate-buffered saline. Bacteria were isolated on MYPGP agar medium. Two bacterial isolates, ksuPL3 and ksuPL5 (16S rRNA GenBank accession numbers, KR780760 and KR780761, respectively), were subjected to molecular identifcation using P. larvae-specifc primers. A BLAST sequence analysis revealed that the two isolates were P. larvae with more than 98% sequence identity. This detection of P. larvae in the indigenous honey bee is the frst recorded incidence of this pathogen in Saudi Arabia. This study emphasizes the need for the relevant authorities to take immediate steps towards treating and limiting the spread of this disease throughout the country.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bee Research Chair, Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, PO Box 2460, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Mohammad Javed Ansari, Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, Adgaba Nuru & Khalid Ali Khan

  2. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, PO Box 2455, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Ashraf Mohamed Ahmed & Tahany H. Ayaad

  3. New York Medical Care For Nephrology, Richmond Hill, NY, 11418, USA

    Noori Al-Waili

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  1. Mohammad Javed Ansari
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  2. Ahmad Al-Ghamdi
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  7. Noori Al-Waili
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Correspondence to Mohammad Javed Ansari.

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Ansari, M.J., Al-Ghamdi, A., Nuru, A. et al. Diagnosis and molecular detection of Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbrood in honey bees in Saudi Arabia. Int J Trop Insect Sci 37, 137–148 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758417000133

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