> Our pilot study shows that N. bombi does infect bumble bees native to the U.S., indicating that the geographical distribution and host range of this microsporidium is broader than previously reported

>  Microsporidia parasitism in insects is phylogenetically ancient ... We presume that N. bombi was present in ancestors of contemporary Nearctic Bombus spp. and arrived with their hosts following multiple dispersals from the Palearctic. This seems more likely than a recent origin via spread from non indigenous infections such as those mentioned previously. 

> A hypothesis that colonization of US bumble bee populations with N. bombi occurred recently cannot be rejected, but appears highly unlikely, based on available data. Further sampling of various Bombus spp. throughout North America and analyzes of other than rRNA genes, such as RNA polymerase II, might help trace dispersal patterns of this parasite.

SOURCE:

Identification of Nosema bombi in Bombus impatiens and Bombus sandersoni from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA) by Yuliya Y. Sokolovaa, et al

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