@article{1920, keywords = {honey bee, Nosema spp, nosemosis, diagnostics}, author = {L Horchler and S Gisder and O Boecking and E Genersch}, title = {Diagnostic value of faecal spots on and in honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives}, abstract = {Nosema spp. infections are widely distributed in populations of the European honey bee. Most of these infections are covert; hence, infected individuals and colonies do not show obvious clinical symptoms. Sometimes, overt outbreaks of infections of adult bees with Nosema spp. (nosemosis) occur and those are typically characterized by the clinical symptom ‘diarrhoea’. Hence, colonies suffering from nosemosis can be recognized by faecal spots visible at the hive entrance, on frames, and on combs. Whether only Nosema ( N.) apis or also N. ceranae causes dysentery is still controversially discussed, as is the possibility to identify a nosemosis outbreak just based on faecal spots. Therefore, the goal of our study was to evaluate the value of faecal spots for the diagnosis of nosemosis by microscopic and molecular analyses of faecal spots and worker bees collected from the respective colonies. We show that overt outbreaks of N. ceranae infections are not that different from outbreaks of N. apis infections: Both are associated with diarrhoea resulting in faecal spots at the hive entrance and inside the hive. However, not all colonies exhibiting faecal spots were suffering from nosemosis suggesting that the mere presence of faecal spots is not sufficiently reliable for diagnosing nosemosis.}, year = {2018}, journal = {Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift}, volume = {131}, month = {11/2018}, publisher = {Schlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG}, address = {Hannover}, issn = {0005-9366}, doi = {10.2376/0005-9366-18035}, language = {English}, }