Nutritional limitation and resistance to opportunistic Aspergillus parasites in honey bee larvae

[Display omitted] ► Nutritional limitation increased mortality following Aspergillus fumigatus exposure. ► Survival increased in exposed larvae fed dandelion and mixed pollen supplements. ► The effect of diet on survival was dependent on the parasite species. Honey bees are threatened by land use ch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of invertebrate pathology 2012-09, Vol.111 (1), p.68-73
Main Authors: Foley, Kirsten, Fazio, Géraldine, Jensen, Annette B., Hughes, William O.H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal productions
Animals
Apiculture
Apis mellifera
Aspergillus
Aspergillus spp
Bees - microbiology
Bees - parasitology
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Insecta
Invertebrates
Larva - microbiology
Larva - parasitology
Nutritional limitation
Parasite
Pollen
Stonebrood disease
Terrestrial animal productions
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Summary:[Display omitted] ► Nutritional limitation increased mortality following Aspergillus fumigatus exposure. ► Survival increased in exposed larvae fed dandelion and mixed pollen supplements. ► The effect of diet on survival was dependent on the parasite species. Honey bees are threatened by land use changes which reduce the availability and diversity of pollen and nectar resources. There is concern that poor nutrition may be involved in recent population declines, either directly or due to indirect effects on immunocompetence. The larval stage is likely to be the most vulnerable to a poor diet, but the effects of larval nutrition on the disease susceptibility of bees are not well known. In this study we used laboratory-reared honey bee larvae to investigate the effects of diet quality on disease susceptibility to the opportunistic fungal parasites Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus phoenicis and A. fumigatus. Larvae fed on a nutritionally poor diet were found to be significantly more susceptible to A. fumigatus. Larval resistance to A. fumigatus was enhanced by feeding with a diet supplemented with either dandelion or polyfloral pollens. This indicates that dandelion and polyfloral pollens contain elements that enhance resistance to this fungal disease, illustrating an interaction between nutrition and parasitism and emphasising the benefit of diverse floral resources in the environment to maintain honey bee health.
ISSN:0022-2011
1096-0805
DOI:10.1016/j.jip.2012.06.006