U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Chen, Yanping

                                                         - *Judy*item
                                            Evans, Jayitem
                                            Murphy, Charles

                                                         - *Charlie*item
                                            GUTELL, ROBIN - UNIV OF TEXASitem
                                            LEE, JUNG - UNIV OF TEXASitem
                                            ZUKER, MICHAEL - RENSSELAER P0LY INS. NYitem
                                            Gundersen-Rindal, Dawnitem
                                            Pettis, Jeffery
  Submitted to: Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 10/8/2008
                                    Publication  Date: 3/3/2009
                                    Citation: Chen, Y., Evans, J.D., Murphy, C.A., Gutell, R., Lee, J., Zuker, M., Gundersen, D.E., Pettis, J.S. 2009. Morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic characterization of Nosema cerana, a microsporidian parasite isolated from the European honey bee, Apis mellifera. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 56(2):142-147.Interpretive Summary: Nosema is a serious disease of honey bees. Previously, we showed that Nosema ceranae, a newly recognized cause of this disease, is in fact a long-term and predominant pathogen of honey bees in the U.S.  Here we present the first full pathological analysis of this pathogen. The results indicated that Nosema ceranae not only infects the digestive tract of honey bees, but also spreads to multiple tissues in the host.  The information from this study can be used by other researchers and apiary inspectors to investigate honey bee colonies for disease infections and to develop effective strategies for disease control.
                                Technical Abstract: Nosema ceranae, a microsporidian parasite originally described from Apis cerana, has been found to infect Apis melllifera and is highly pathogenic to its new host.   In the present study, data on N. ceranae ultrastructure, host tissue tropism, secondary structures of ribosomal RNA, and phylogenetic relationship with other microsporidia species are described.  The ultrastructural features indicate that N. ceranae processes all of the characteristics of the genus Nosema.  Spores of N. ceranae were measured approximately 4.4  x  2.2 μm on fresh smears.  The number of coils of polar filament inside spores was 18 to 21. The infection of N. ceranae was found not only in the primary infection site, the  midgut, but also in the tissues of hypopharyngeal glands, salivary glands, malpighian tubules and fat body.  The infection rate and parasite dosage in fat body were relatively low compared to other examined tissues.  Maximum parsimony analysis of the SSUrRNA showed that N. ceranae appeared to be more closely related to the wasp parasite, N. vespula than to N. apis, a parasite infecting the same host.  The complex biological features and virulence of this parasite in the honey bee host invite further research.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov