Medycyna Wet. 64 (11), 1287-1290, 2008
| K. Buczek |
| Biochemical properties, pathogenicity and genotyping of Paenibacillus lanrvae, a pathogen of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. |
| A characteristic of Paenibacillus larvae with a special reference to the current view on the systematics of this pathogen of the honey bee (Apis mellifrea L.) was presented. A great differentiation of the phenotypic and biochemical properties of the isolates often lead to errors in the diagnostics of AFB. The currently used methods of controlling AFB not only cannot eliminate the pathogen from AFB-affected colonies, but actually promote the selection of strains of higher pathogenicity to the honey bee larvae. The behavior of worker bees that quickly remove dead larvae from the sick colony may mask the symptoms of AFB. The genotyping of P.larvae should introduce PCR as a precise method for the diagnostics of AFB as soon as possible. |
| Keywords: Paenibacillus larvae, pathogen characteristic, American foulbrood (AFB) |