Identification of Nosema bombi Fantham and Porter 1914 (Microsporidia) in Bombus impatiens and Bombus sandersoni from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA)

• Published in: Journal of invertebrate pathology Vol. 103; no. 1; pp. 71 - 73
• Main Authors: Sokolova, Yuliya Y., Sokolov, Igor M., Carlton, Christopher E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Bees - microbiology; Bombus impatiens; Bombus sandersoni; Bombus spp; Bumble bees; disease prevalence; Europe; fungal spores; genetic variation; host range; infection; Microsporidia; microsporidiosis; molecular systematics; national parks; Nosema; Nosema - genetics; Nosema - isolation & purification; Nosema - pathogenicity; Nosema bombi; pathogen identification; ribosomal DNA; RNA, Fungal - genetics; rRNA; sequence analysis; United States; Great Smoky Mountain region; United States; Europe; Bumble bees; Bombus spp; Microsporidia; Nosema bombi; rRNA
• ISSN: 0022-2011; 1096-0805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2009.10.002

Ninety three bumble bees belonging to the genus Bombus, subgenus Pyrobombus (three Bombus vagans, seven Bombus bimaculatus, 17 B. sandersoni and 68 B. impatiens) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park were examined for microsporidia. Light microscopy of calcoflour and trichrome-stained smears, and PCR revealed infection with N. bombi in one specimen each of B. sandersoni and B. impatiens. Sizes and shapes of spores in both N. bombi isolates were similar to those described for European isolates of the microsporidium. A region of the rRNA gene from the B. impatiens isolate (1689 bp, accession GQ254295) aligned with homologous sequences from eight European isolates, with only three variable sites. Sequence variability of this region between novel isolates and the European ones was the same as among European isolates.