Nosema ceranae, a new microsporidian parasite in honeybees in Europe

Twelve samples of adult honey bees from different regions of Spain from colonies with clear signs of population depletion, positive to microsporidian spores using light microscopy (1% of total positive samples analysed), were selected for molecular diagnosis. PCR specific primers for a region of the 16S rRNA gene of Microsporidia were developed and the PCR products were sequenced and compared to GenBank entries. The sequenced products of 11 out of the 12 samples were identical to the corresponding Nosema ceranae sequence. This is the first report of N. ceranae in colonies of Apis mellifera in Europe. The suggested link of the infections to clinical disease symptoms makes imperative a study of the virulence of N. ceranae in European races of honey bees.