Microsporidia associated to bumble bees in the southern Neotropical region

PLISCHUK, S.; HARAMBOURE, M.; LANGE, C. E.

San Diego, CA

Congreso; 50th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology - International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control; 2017

Society of Invertebrate Pathology

Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) play a key role as highly efficient pollinators in a variety of ecosystems. Of the approximately 250 species known worldwide only nine native species have been reported to inhabit Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay which seem to depict a somewhat low diversity for southern South America when compared to the Palearctic and Nearctic regions. Two additional Palearctic species were introduced late in the XX century in Chile, became naturalized, and spread to Argentina across the southern Andes. Less than a decade ago knowledge of microsporidia associated to bumble bees in the southern Neotropic was nonexistent. Since then prospection started and the occurrence of at least three microsporidia was recorded. The predominantly fat tissue pathogen Tubulinosema pampeana was discovered in native Bombus atratus and B. bellicosus in the Pampas, the enteric Nosema ceranae was registered in natives B. atratus, B. bellicosus, B. morio and B. brasiliensis in the Pampas and North of the country, and systemic Nosema bombi in exotics B. terrestris and B. ruderatus in western Patagonia. Since B. terrestris is extremely ubiquitous and has already reached the northern Patagonian Atlantic coast it is likely that its range expansion will continue further possibly allowing new microsporidia-host associations of unpredictable outcomes. The presentation will review the status of both microsporidia and hosts, emphasizing the importance of immediate intensification of surveys before B. terrestris reaches a wider distribution