Project description:Honeybee health is a major ecological, agricultural and societal concern due to the critical role of these insects for plant reproduction and the massive losses of colonies observed within the last decade. The search for abiotic (e.g. pesticides) and biotic (e.g. pathogens) stressors is essential for understanding bee declines and design protection plans. Flagellated Trypanosomatid protozoan parasites and particularly Lotmaria passim, are widely distributed in honeybee colonies and have been associated with colony losses. However, little is known about their life cycles, routes for transmission and the strategies for survival inside and outside their hosts. Here we describe the proteome of L. passim Extracellular polymeric substances linked to secretion of Extracellular vesicles using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The EPS-EVs composition will provide clues on how these pathogens survive and spread in apiaries worldwide.
Project description:The impact of trypanosomatid parasites on honeybee health may represent a major threat to bee colonies worldwide. However, few axenic isolates have been generated to date and with no details on cell culture passages, a parameter that could influence parasite virulence. To address this question, a trypanosomatid isolation protocol was developed and a new strain was obtained, named L. passim C1. Using experimental infection of worker honeybees, we compared the virulence and mortality rates of the ATCC PRA-403 reference strain and C1 strain, the latter showing higher virulence from 10 days post-infection onward. This study highlights the impact of cell culture passages on the pathogenicity of L. passim in honeybees, providing new evidence of its negative effects on honeybee health.
