Dynamics of Persistent and Acute Deformed Wing Virus Infections in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

The dynamics of viruses are critical to our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Using honey bee Deformed wing virus (DWV) as a model, we conducted field and laboratory studies to investigate the roles of abiotic and biotic stress factors as well as host health conditions in dynamics of virus replication in honey bees. The results showed that temperature decline could lead to not only significant decrease in the rate for pupae to emerge as adult bees, but also an increased severity of the virus infection in emerged bees, partly explaining the high levels of winter losses of managed honey bees, Apis mellifera, around the world. By experimentally exposing adult bees with variable levels of parasitic mite Varroa destructor, we showed that the severity of DWV infection was positively correlated with the density and time period of Varroa mite infestation, confirming the role of Varroa mites in virus transmission and activation in honey bees. Further, we showed that host conditions have a significant impact on the outcome of DWV infection as bees that originate from strong colonies resist DWV infection and replication significantly better than bee originating from weak colonies. The information obtained from this study has important implications for enhancing our understanding of host‑pathogen interactions and can be used to develop effective disease control strategies for honey bees

Viininmaistelun alkeet -tapahtuma Maria P:ssä

Tiivistelmä Tekijät: Paananen Riina ja Korkiakoski Merika Työn nimi: Viininmaistelun alkeet -tapahtuma Maria P:ssä Tutkintonimike: Restonomi (AMK), matkailun koulutus Asiasanat: tapahtuma, viini, viininmaistelu, Chile Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli suunnitella ja järjestää Viininmaistelun alkeet -tapahtuma. Tapahtuman toimeksiantajana toimi kajaanilainen yritys Viinibaari Maria P. Tapahtuma haluttiin toteuttaa baarin imagoon sopivaksi. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli saada Viini-baarille lisää asiakkaita tutustuttamalla kokemattomia viininmaistajia viineihin. Työ oli toiminnallinen opinnäytetyö, jonka tuotoksena oli Viininmaistelun alkeet -tapahtuma. Opinnäytetyöhön kerättiin teoriapohjaa viininmaistelusta sekä viinin ja ruoan yhdistämisestä, Chilestä viinimaana ja tapahtuman järjestämisestä. Näitä kaikkia käytettiin lopullisen tuotoksen valmistumiseen. Toteutuksen arviointina toimi tapahtumaan osallistuneilta saatu kirjallinen palaute. Palautteen mukaan kehittämistehtävän toteutuksessa onnistuttiin hyvin, sillä opinnäytetyön ennalta määritellyt tavoitteet saavutettiin. Opinnäytetyötä voidaan käyttää apuna jatkossa vastaavien tapahtumien suunnittelussa.Abstract Authors: Paananen Riina & Korkiakoski Merika Title of the Publication: Basics of wine tasting- event Degree title: Bachelor of Hospitality Management Keywords: event, wine, tasting, Chile The purpose for this thesis was to plan and arrange Basics of wine tasting –event. The commissioner for this thsesis was a local bar in Kajaani called Viinibaari Maria P. The event was planned to suit the imago of the bar. The objective of the thesis was to gain more customers to Viinibaari Maria P by introducing various wines to novice wine tasters. This research was a functional thesis which produced the Basics wine tasting event. The theory of this thesis focused on wine tasting, combining wine and food, Chile as a wine producer, and on planning and arranging an event. The feedback for the execution consists of the feedback forms that the customers of the event were asked to fill in. In addition observation method was used for evaluation. According to the feedback the event was successful because the objective of the thesis was reached. Our conclusion is that this thesis can be used as a guide in planning similar events

Movement of Soil-Applied Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam into Nectar and Pollen of Squash (Cucurbita pepo)

There has been recent interest in the threat to bees posed by the use of systemic insecticides. One concern is that systemic insecticides may translocate from the soil into pollen and nectar of plants, where they would be ingested by pollinators. This paper reports on the movement of two such systemic neonicotinoid insecticides, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, into the pollen and nectar of flowers of squash (Cucurbita pepo cultivars “Multipik,” “Sunray” and “Bush Delicata”) when applied to soil by two methods: (1) sprayed into soil before seeding, or (2) applied through drip irrigation in a single treatment after transplant. All insecticide treatments were within labeled rates for these compounds. Pollen and nectar samples were analyzed using a standard extraction method widely used for pesticides (QuEChERS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometric analysis. The concentrations found in nectar, 10±3 ppb (mean ± s.d) for imidacloprid and 11±6 ppb for thiamethoxam, are higher than concentrations of neonicotinoid insecticides in nectar of canola and sunflower grown from treated seed, and similar to those found in a recent study of neonicotinoids applied to pumpkins at transplant and through drip irrigation. The concentrations in pollen, 14±8 ppb for imidacloprid and 12±9 ppb for thiamethoxam, are higher than those found for seed treatments in most studies, but at the low end of the range found in the pumpkin study. Our concentrations fall into the range being investigated for sublethal effects on honey bees and bumble bees

Nasopharyngeal Microbiota Profiles in Rural Venezuelan Children Are Associated With Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Infections

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that the microbiota affects susceptibility to both respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and gastrointestinal infections (GIIs). In order to optimize global treatment options, it is important to characterize microbiota profiles across different niches and geographic/socioeconomic areas where RTI and GII prevalences are high. METHODS: We performed 16S sequencing of nasopharyngeal swabs from 209 Venezuelan Amerindian children aged 6 weeks-59 months who were participating in a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) study. Using random forest models, differential abundance testing, and regression analysis, we determined whether specific bacteria were associated with RTIs or GIIs and variation in PCV13 response. RESULTS: Microbiota compositions differed between children with or without RTIs (P = .018) or GIIs (P = .001). Several species were associated with the absence of infections. Some of these health-associated bacteria are also observed in developed regions, such as Corynebacterium (log2(fold change [FC]) = 3.30 for RTIs and log2(FC) = 1.71 for GIIs), while others are not commonly observed in developed regions, such as Acinetobacter (log2(FC) = 2.82 and log2(FC) = 5.06, respectively). Klebsiella spp. presence was associated with both RTIs (log2(FC) = 5.48) and GIIs (log2(FC) = 7.20). CONCLUSIONS: The nasopharyngeal microbiota of rural Venezuelan children included several bacteria that thrive in tropical humid climates. Interestingly, nasopharyngeal microbiota composition not only differed in children with an RTI but also in those with a GII, which suggests a reciprocal interplay between the 2 environments. Knowledge of region-specific microbiota patterns enables tailoring of preventive and therapeutic approaches

The distribution of Aspergillus spp. opportunistic parasites in hives and their pathogenicity to honey bees

Stonebrood is a disease of honey bee larvae caused by fungi from the genus Aspergillus. As very few studies have focused on the epidemiological aspects of stonebrood and diseased brood may be rapidly discarded by worker bees, it is possible that a high number of cases go undetected. Aspergillus spp. fungi are ubiquitous and associated with disease in many insects, plants, animals and man. They are regarded as opportunistic pathogens that require immunocompromised hosts to establish infection. Microbiological studies have shown high prevalences of Aspergillus spp. in apiaries which occur saprophytically on hive substrates. However, the specific conditions required for pathogenicity to develop remain unknown. In this study, an apiary was screened to determine the prevalence and diversity of Aspergillus spp. fungi. A series of dose–response tests were then conducted using laboratory reared larvae to determine the pathogenicity and virulence of frequently occurring isolates. The susceptibility of adult worker bees to Aspergillus flavus was also tested. Three isolates (A. flavus, Aspergillus nomius and Aspergillus phoenicis) of the ten species identified were pathogenic to honey bee larvae. Moreover, adult honey bees were also confirmed to be highly susceptible to A. flavus infection when they ingested conidia. Neither of the two Aspergillus fumigatus strains used in dose–response tests induced mortality in larvae and were the least pathogenic of the isolates tested. These results confirm the ubiquity of Aspergillus spp. in the apiary environment and highlight their potential to infect both larvae and adult bees

Rearing and foraging affects bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) gut microbiota

Bumblebees are ecologically and economically important as pollinators of crop and wild plants, especially in temperate systems. Species, such as the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), are reared commercially to pollinate high value crops. Their highly specific gut microbiota, characterised by low diversity, may affect nutrition and immunity and are likely to be important for fitness and colony health. However, little is known about how environmental factors affect bacterial community structure. We analyzed the gut microbiota from three groups of worker bumblebees (B. terrestris) from distinct colonies that varied in rearing and foraging characteristics: commercially reared with restricted foraging (RR); commercially reared with outside foraging (RF); and wild-caught workers (W). Contrary to previous studies, which indicate that bacterial communities are highly conserved across workers, we found that RF individuals had an intermediate community structure compared to RR and W types. Further, this was shaped by differences in the abundances of common OTUs and the diversity of rare OTUs present which we propose results from an increase in the variety of carbohydrates obtained through foraging

High sample throughput genotyping for estimating C-lineage introgression in the dark honeybee: an accurate and cost-effective SNP-based tool

The natural distribution of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) has been changed by humans in recent decades to such an extent that the formerly widest-spread European subspecies, Apis mellifera mellifera, is threatened by extinction through introgression from highly divergent commercial strains in large tracts of its range. Conservation efforts for A. m. mellifera are underway in multiple European countries requiring reliable and cost-efficient molecular tools to identify purebred colonies. Here, we developed four ancestry-informative SNP assays for high sample throughput genotyping using the iPLEX Mass Array system. Our customized assays were tested on DNA from individual and pooled, haploid and diploid honeybee samples extracted from different tissues using a diverse range of protocols. The assays had a high genotyping success rate and yielded accurate genotypes. Performance assessed against whole-genome data showed that individual assays behaved well, although the most accurate introgression estimates were obtained for the four assays combined (117 SNPs). The best compromise between accuracy and genotyping costs was achieved when combining two assays (62 SNPs). We provide a ready-to-use cost-effective tool for accurate molecular identification and estimation oinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio