Apidologie (2009) 40, 595-599

Dhruba Naug and Ann Gibbs (2009)
Behavioral changes mediated by hunger in honeybees infected with Nosema ceranae
Apidologie 40 (6), 595-599
Abstract: The microsporidian Nosema is a common honeybee pathogen which enters the adult bee orally and multiplies in its gut, imposing a metabolic demand on its host. The newly discovered Nosema ceranae, given its relatively new association with the European honeybee, is likely to be particularly severe in this regard. We therefore hypothesized that N. ceranae exerts a significant effect on the feeding behavior of infected bees. Results from our experiments support this idea, revealing that infected bees are more responsive to sucrose and are less inclined to share this food with other bees, suggesting that they have a higher hunger level. We argue that increased hunger in the host is a general physiological effect of a number of pathogenic infections and due to its effect on host behavior could act as a mechanism by which the host and the pathogen can influence the transmission rates of an infection. Behavioral mechanisms, mediated by physiology could therefore be in the frontline of any arms race between a host and its pathogen.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Dhruba Naug

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
damage/losses/economics

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Vairimorpha ceranae