Distribution and molecular detection of Nosema ceranae in US honey bees

Nosema ceranae, which appears to have crossed over from the Asiatic honey bee Apis ceranae to the European honey bee Apis mellifera, is considered to be a contributing factor to Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. N. ceranae also shows evidence of competitive replacement of N. apis as the causative agent of Nosemosis in honey bees. Rates of infection, virulence with regard to specific bee lineages and in comparison with N. apis, and geographic origin are among the unknowns regarding N. ceranae's worldwide prevalence. Using a 16S PCR primer specific for N. ceranae, we conducted a broad survey for N. ceranae in the United States. DNA sequencing of the 16S amplicon revealed that it is similar to N. ceranae from Europe and Australia.