[en] The development of beekeeping in Ecuador has generated the need to strengthen the bee health program. Research on the main pathogens responsible for diseases like nosemosis, which can severely impact bee health, is of special interest. This study aims to identify the Nosema apis and/or Nosema ceranae species infecting honey bee colonies located in the northern Andean region of Ecuador using multiplex PCR targeting the RNA polymerase II gene (RPB1), and the phylogenetic analysis of N. ceranae based on the 16 S rRNA gene sequences. Among the 164 honey bee samples collected from colonies in the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, and Pichincha, the prevalence of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae was 14.63% and 21.34%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that N. ceranae from Ecuador is closely related to the sequences from Argentina and Brazil. These findings provide the first molecular confirmation of N. ceranae in Ecuador and support the need for molecular monitoring of honey bee pathogens in the region.
Disciplines :
Veterinary medicine & animal health
Author, co-author :
Sandoval-Morejón, Dayana; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador ; Centro de Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170515, Ecuador
Cholota-Iza, Cristina; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
Torres-Arias, Marbel ; Laboratorio de Inmunología y Virología, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador ; Centro de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
Antúnez, Karina ; Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
Reyna-Bello, Armando ; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
Fuentes-Hidalgo, Luis; Laboratorio de Mejoramiento Genético y Sanidad Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
Saegerman, Claude ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI) > Epidémiologie, analyse de risques et biosécurité appliquées aux sciences vétérinaires
Martin-Solano, Sarah ; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
Ron-Román, Jorge; Laboratorio de Mejoramiento Genético y Sanidad Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y de la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
Language :
English
Title :
First Molecular Detection and Characterization of Nosema ceranae in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) from the Northern Highlands of Ecuador.
Publication date :
11 March 2026
Journal title :
Insects
eISSN :
2075-4450
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), Switzerland
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