Phylogenetic analysis of the trypanosomatid parasite in honey bees () in Poland.

Introduction: () is a single-celled flagellate which colonises the bee gastrointestinal tract and is highly prevalent in honey bees. This parasite is associated with colony losses. Honey bee () colonies were sampled from five apiaries in the north-eastern part of Poland for the phylogenetic analysis of .

Material And Methods: Each apiary consisted of approximately 60 bee colonies, of which 20 were randomly selected. Samples of 60 differently aged worker bees were collected from each colony and pooled. A total of 100 bee colonies from five apiaries were examined. Protozoa of the Trypanosomatidae family were identified by PCR. was detected in 47 (47%) of the samples. The 18S ribosomal (r) RNA amplicons of were sequenced by a commercial service. Their sequences were analysed with BLASTN and noted to be compatible with the GenBank sequences of this region of the organism's genome. A sequence analysis was performed using the BioEdit Sequence Alignment Editor and Clustal W software.

Results: The amplicon sequences of were 100% homologous with the sequences deposited in GenBank under accession numbers KM066243.1., KJ684964.1 and KM980181.1.

Conclusion: This is the first study to perform a phylogenetic analysis of in Polish honey bees. The analysis demonstrated high levels of genetic similarity between isolates of colonising apiaries in the north-eastern region of Poland.