Experimental infection of honeybees by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Published in: Apidologie Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 393 - 397
• Main Authors: PAPADOPOULOU-KARABELA, K, LLIADIS, N, LIAKOS, V, BOURDZY-HATZOPOULOU, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Les Ulis EDP Sciences 1992; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Animal biology; Animal production studies; Animal productions; Apiculture; Apidae; Apis mellifera; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Ecology, environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hymenoptera; Insecta; Invertebrate Zoology; Invertebrates; Life Sciences; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Terrestrial animal productions; Pseudomonadales; Septicemia; Insecta; Mortality; Apidae; Hemolymph; Social insect; Experimental study; Apis mellifera; Infection; Apoidea; Arthropoda; Interindividual comparison; Pseudomonadaceae; Bacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Apiculture; Aculeata
• ISSN: 0044-8435; 1297-9678
• DOI: 10.1051/apido:19920501

Honeybees kept in cages were experimentally infected by dipping in a bacterial suspension of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27014 (P. apiseptica ) known to cause septicaemia. The concentration of the bacterial suspension was ca 5 x 10 super(9) CFU per ml saline. The highest mortality rate (66.8%) was observed 10-50 h after infection. The number of bacteria isolated in the haemolymph of diseased honeybees was ca 10 super(6)-10 super(9) CFU per ml haemolymph. Between the 10th and the 50th h, it was found that the mean concentration of viable bacteria in the haemolymph in bees which showed clinical symptoms of infection varied significantly at different 10-h-intervals after infection.