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North American Propolis Extracts From Upstate New York Decrease Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia) Spore Levels in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

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Last modified
  • 05/23/2025
Type of Material
Authors
    Andre J. Burnham, Hamilton CollegeEmily De Jong, Hamilton CollegeJayre A. Jones, Emory UniversityHerman K. Lehman, Hamilton College
Language
  • English
Date
  • 2020-07-22
Publisher
  • Frontiers Media
Publication Version
Copyright Statement
  • © Copyright © 2020 Burnham, De Jong, Jones and Lehman.
License
Final Published Version (URL)
Title of Journal or Parent Work
ISSN
  • 1664-302X
Volume
  • 11
Grant/Funding Information
  • This work was supported by the Dean of Faculty, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY; and the Casstevens Family Fund, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY.
  • This article published with support from Emory Libraries' Open Access Publishing Fund.
Supplemental Material (URL)
Abstract
  • Nosema ceranae infections in honey bees (Apis mellifera) pose a severe threat to colony health. Beekeepers have used dicyclohexylammonium fumagillin to control Nosema apis, although it may be ineffective against N. ceranae. We investigated the ability of various propolis extracts collected from Upstate New York (United States) to decrease in vivo N. ceranae infection levels when fed ad libitum to N. ceranae-infected honey bees. Propolis extracts, most notably a dichloromethane extract, significantly lowered spore levels in a dose-dependent fashion 4 days post inoculation. When testing the in vitro anti-Nosema activity of propolis extracts, we report for the first time that spore viability was unaffected after a 24 h exposure to propolis extracts. These results present evidence that propolis extracts may effectively lower Microsporidia infections in honey bees, and that direct exposure of environmental spores to propolis alone does not kill N. ceranae.
Author Notes
  • AB conceived the project, designed the study, participated in all aspects of the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of the data, wrote drafts and revisions of the manuscript, approved the final version of the manuscript, and was accountable for all aspects of the work.
Keywords
Research Categories
  • Health Sciences, Immunology
  • Agriculture, Animal Pathology

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