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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
Christina Wahl <[log in to unmask]>
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 19 Sep 2013 02:08:02 +0000
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Juanse,  Nosema are "microsporidians".  They live inside the cells lining the ventriculus (stomach proper, not the honey stomach) of the bee and take their nutrition from the cell they are living in.  When they sporulate, it's like when a mushroom makes spores to propagate itself.  The spores don't eat, but they germinate and cause more trouble.

Nosema is considered to be the world's smallest fungus, although as I understand it, there's still some doubt if they actually are fungi or not.

Here's what Wikipedia says about the mechanism for germination: "Newly emerged bees are always free from infection. Spores must be swallowed by a bee for the infection to be initiated. Spores germinate quickly after entering the ventriculus<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insects>, and the epithelial cells<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epithelial_cell> of the ventriculus are infected when the vegetative stage<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vegetative_stage&action=edit&redlink=1> is introduced by way of the hollow polar filament<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_filament>. Once inside a cell, the vegetative stage increases in size and multiplies, effecting an apparent concurrent reduction of RNA synthesis<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_synthesis> in the host cell<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Host_cell>. In 6–10 days the infected host epithelial cell becomes filled with new spores. Epithelial cells are normally shed into the ventriculus where they burst – releasing digestive enzymes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestive_enzyme>. When infected cells are shed similarly, they release 30–50 million infective spores when they burst."

What I would like to know is whether, and how often, the cells lining the bee's ventriculus turn over (replace themselves).  In humans this happens once every seven days or so.  When we have the equivalent of a Nosema infection we get severe diarrhea and are advised to drink lots of fluids.  Seems to me that bees with this disease ought to benefit from "drinking fluids" too.  But do they repair their gut lining after Nosema kills the cells?  If not, then there isn't much hope for an infected bee.

Christina

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