I have been in correspondence with a contact in Kerala regarding an outbreak 
of what was suspected to be EFB in cerana.  Today he tells me:

'The infection has been subsided with Terramycin in some apiaries where it 
is fed with artificial feed (1:1 sugar syrup).  Since the honey flow season 
has started, the bees did not accept the artificial feed and in such 
colonies the rate of control of the infection was less.  However, pure 
culture isolated from the infected brood was sent to the Microbial Type 
Culture Collection & Gene Bank, Institute of Microbial Technology, Sector 
39-A, Chandigarh, India and was identified as Bacillus vallismortis based on 
16s rDNA sequencing.'

My understanding is that Bacillus vallismortis is a soil borne bacterium, so 
I suspect contamination, but perhaps it is a secondary invasion following 
EFB.

Anyone with knowledge of this bacterium?

Best wishes

Peter
52.194546, -1.673618 

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