Phoretic mites on South American bumblebees (<i>Bombus</i> spp.) as parasite carriers: a historical input

Phoretic mites associated with bumblebees are considered commensals that represent little or no risk for their hosts. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential role of the phoretic mites <i>Pneumolaelaps longanalis</i> and <i>Parasitellus fucorum</i>, as carrie...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Revainera, Pablo Damián, Quintana, Silvina, Fernández de Landa, Gregorio, Meroi Arcerito, Facundo, Lucía, Mariano, Abrahamovich, Alberto Horacio, Plischuk, Santiago, Eguaras, Martín Javier, Maggi, Matías Daniel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:Argentina
Institución:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Repositorio:SEDICI (UNLP)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/124356
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/124356
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias Naturales
phoretic mites
bumblebees
parasite’s DNA
molecular detection
historical parasitology
Descripción
Sumario:Phoretic mites associated with bumblebees are considered commensals that represent little or no risk for their hosts. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential role of the phoretic mites <i>Pneumolaelaps longanalis</i> and <i>Parasitellus fucorum</i>, as carriers of parasites that are known to affect bees. Mites were extracted from bumblebees dating between 1945 and 1981 which belong to museum collections, and from a freshly collected queen. The DNA was extracted and amplified, and the final products were sequenced and analyzed. Parasite’s DNA was found in all samples. <i>Ascosphaera</i> spp., <i>Crithidia bombi</i>, <i>Lotmaria passim</i>, and <i>Nosema ceranae</i> were present in both mite species. Moreover, DNA from <i>Apis mellifera</i> filamentous virus (AmFV), <i>Apicystis bombi</i>, <i>Ascosphaera apis</i>, <i>Nosema apis</i>, and <i>Nosema bombi</i> was found in <i>P. longanalis</i>. This study represents the oldest report of parasite’s DNA in bumblebee phoretic mites, highlighting the relevance of museum samples for historical studies in parasitology.