Hi All/Allen/Stan
 
Thanks Allan and Stan for the interesting replies on the antibiotic
issue. I have read arounda little more and have a few more things to
add on this time bacterial spores and getting rid of them, as well as
resistance.
 
First I must appologise to all for being a little severe in one of my
previous posts - bad day sybdrome.
 
Recently it has been found that many bacterial spores are highly
stable if stored in any fatty substance - they are also less likely
to germinate. This has something to do with the fats connecting to
the fats in the bacterial spore and stabilizing them.
 
On the other hand the spores are likely to germinate under damp
conditions.
 
Hence I would geuss most AFB epidemics begin when there is an
increase in moisture in the empty super cells - leading to
germination??
 
On the other side, the inclusion of a high fat substance in ones
vehicle for distributing the oxy-tet seems a bad move as it will
probably result in the spores in the guts of the bees not germinating
- or for that matter forming and not getting treated.
 
As far as transfer of resistance in coliforms on hands and such -
almost a definite. There is an interesting practical which they
conduct here every year for microbiology. One takes a dilute solution
of three different forms of the common gut bacteria, E.coli. Each
form has a different marker on it/in it (such as a gene for
resistance to an antibiotic, or a colour producer etc) and you place
10 micro litres (a very litte drop the size of a pin head) on one
persons hand. Everybody walks around and shakes hands for five
minutes and at the end on isolates bacteria of the hands and 99% of
people have at least one colony forming unit (cell) of each bacteria
on their hand.
 
So the transfer of resistance into the hive is quite probable through
this route.
 
On the other side of this topic - high doses should remain effective
as a prophylactic treatment for many more years - given than new
antibiotics are coming out for human use that little resistance is
present for I actually personally think that it may be advisable to
treat with oxytet for AFB cases - but I still wonder about the long
term negative effects.
 
As for fumigillan I will have to go and scratch around a bit - and
find out more about nosema. My geuss would be that it's mode of
action is very very different to TM as it is acting on a completely
different sort of organism.
 
Standard antibiotics for bacteria are very easy to produce as they
tend to target a part of the machinery in a bacteria the we, bees,
cows and other higher animals do not have. This is usually something
like the production of cell walls (penicillen) or protein synthesis
(I think TM fits in here if my memory is correct). Hence getting
something like nosema one has a greater chance of killing the host as
well as the pest as both use the same machinery.
 
As far as yeast infections go in bees - I am sure that HIV will help
there with treatments - if treating is to help - as at present one of
the main causes of AIDS related death is infection with the yeast
Candida albiqans and family. Many many new yeast killing preparations
have been developed.
 
I will look around a bit and put any more stuff I find up for
scrutiny.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space!!