> I have checked a few times. So i know how and have the tools. But since decent reseach shows the cure usually makes it worse i have stopped checking
I would not say that. I think one study showed a resurgence of spore count. Other research showed that high spore count did not correlate with poor survival. So, if high spore count is not harmful, the fumagillin would not be making it "worse."
In my view, the issue is more that people are using an expensive antibiotic with no clear purpose. I asked one beekeeper why he has been using it for decades, does it really help? His reply was that he looked at like insurance: you pay for it, hoping you don't need it.
In view of the antibiotic crisis, I think it is wise to stop using antibiotics where there is no clear benefit and where there is a significant potential for harm to the human population.
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> The toxicity of fumagillin has limited its use for human applications and spurred the development of analogues using structure–activity relationships relating to its angiogenesis properties. These discoveries may hold the key to the development of alternative chemical treatments for use in apiculture. The toxicity of fumagillin to humans is important for beekeeping, because any residues remaining in hive products pose a direct risk to the consumer.
> However, a significant concern is not only fumagillin toxicity but also that of DCH, which may be present in equimolar amounts to fumagillin in bee products. As discussed under Toxicity of Fumagillin, it is evident that DCH is at least 5 times as toxic, comparing only the LD50 values and disregarding any additional negative effects. All published analytical methods to date evaluate only the presence of fumagillin and, in a few instances, one or two of the major metabolites or degradation products in honey.
> The contribution of DCH present in the commercial fumagillin formulation to the overall toxicity and resulting food safety implications in products destined for human consumption is definitely not negligible.(87) None of the analytical methods for analyzing fumagillin and metabolites in honey published to date even mention the presence of DCH as an analyte of concern. This is a significant oversight because the potential presence of DCH in hive products is clearly of significance for human health and food safety concerns.
Van den Heever, J. P., Thompson, T. S., Curtis, J. M., Ibrahim, A., & Pernal, S. F. (2014). Fumagillin: an overview of recent scientific advances and their significance for apiculture. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 62(13), 2728-2737.
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