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Date: | Tue, 29 Nov 1994 08:15:00 -0700 |
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Jean-Pierre
Several people have developed or demonstrated methods to assess AFB by
means other than hive symptoms.
Mark Goodwin and Cliff van Eaton in New Zealand have a method of
detection using bacterial cultures, that can use non-symptomatic adult
bees or brood, honey or pollen as a sample source. The basic method is
preparation of an extract from the sample, "pasteurization" to kill
vegetative bacteria, plating onto a nutrient plate, incubation for 3
days, then observation and counting of the resulting B.larvae colonies.
Adult bee samples give a range of B.larvae colony counts up to about 100
per plate, before hive symptoms are common. This provides a "grey zone"
of AFB "infected" hives, that might be segregated and receive special
surveillance and management to prevent "breakdown" and spread to other
hives.
In a management system that already has a low exposure to AFB, this
method could offer a sensitive means of detecting the "smoke before the
flame". It would be interesting to try this with a management system
based on antibiotic suppression. Would there be a high level of spores
everywhere, just waiting for a hole in the antibiotic armour?
Kerry Clark, Apiculture Specialist
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture
1201 103 Ave
Dawson Creek B.C.
V1G 4J2 CANADA Tel (604) 784-2225 fax (604) 784-2299
INTERNET [log in to unmask]
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