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Poster Display

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Poster: P-IE, Apiculture

Comparative assessment of long-term storage methods for Vairimorpha (Nosema) ceranae

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific
Location: Exhibit Hall A-A1, OCC
Poster Display
Abstract: Vairimorpha ceranae is a microsporidian gut pathogen that can infect Apis mellifera, the European honey bee. The pathogen can impact the honey bee host’s behavior and cause overt symptoms such as dysentery. High levels of infection can be fatal, and can negatively impact the colony, potentially resulting in a colony collapse. The organism spreads through fecal/oral route through direct contact and contaminated surfaces. To better understand the impact of this economically important pathogen, researchers need methods of culturing and accessing this pathogen in a laboratory setting. Historically, this has been difficult, forcing researchers to rely on Vairimorpha’s natural availability in the environment. We assessed a variety of long term storage solutions suggested from literature for infecting honey bees: 50% honey, 50% sucrose, and desiccated corpses of infected honey bees.