Comparative genomics of Lactobacillaceae from the gut of honey bees, Apis mellifera, from the Eastern United States.

Lactobacillaceae are an important family of lactic acid bacteria that play key roles in the gut microbiome of many animal species. In the honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut microbiome, many species of Lactobacillaceae are found, and there is functionally important strain-level variation in the bacteria. In this study, we completed whole-genome sequencing of 3 unique Lactobacillaceae isolates collected from hives in Virginia, USA.

A real-time PCR method for quantification of the total and major variant strains of the deformed wing virus.

European honey bees (Apis mellifera) are critically important to global food production by virtue of their pollination services but are severely threatened by deformed wing virus (DWV) especially in the presence of the external parasite Varroa destructor. DWV exists as many viral strains with the two major variants (DWV-A and DWV-B) varying in virulence. A single plasmid standard was constructed containing three sections for the specific determination of DWV-A (VP2 capsid region), DWV-B (IRES) and a conserved region suitable for total DWV (helicase region).

High rates of infection by blood parasites during the nestling phase in UK Columbids with notes on ecological associations.

Studies of blood parasite infection in nestling birds rarely find a high prevalence of infection. This is likely due to a combination of short nestling periods (limiting the age at which nestlings can be sampled) and long parasite prepatent periods before gametocytes can be detected in peripheral blood. Here we examine rates of blood parasite infection in nestlings from three Columbid species in the UK.

Propagation of the Israeli vaccine strain of Anaplasma centrale in tick cell lines.

Anaplasma centrale has been used in cattle as a live blood vaccine against the more pathogenic Anaplasma marginale for over 100 years. While A. marginale can be propagated in vitro in tick cell lines, facilitating studies on antigen production, immunisation and vector-pathogen interaction, to date there has been no in vitro culture system for A.