An international inter-laboratory study on Nosema spp. spore detection and quantification through microscopic examination of crushed honey bee abdomens

An international inter-laboratory study on Nosema spp. spore detection and quantification through microscopic examination of crushed honey bee abdomens

Nosemosis is a microsporidian disease causing mortality and weakening of honey bee colonies, especially in the event of co-exposure to other sources of stress. As a result, the disease is regulated in some countries. Reliable and harmonised diagnosis is crucial to ensure the quality of surveillance...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of microbiological methods Vol. 184; p. 106183
Main Authors: Duquesne, Véronique, Gastaldi, Cristina, Del Cont, Aurélie, Cougoule, Nicolas, Bober, Andrzej, Brunain, Marleen, Chioveanu, Gabriela, Demicoli, Noel, Paulus, Petra Deakne, Somalo, Pilar Fernandez, Filipova, Miriam, Forsgren, Eva, Granato, Anna, Gurgulova, Kalinka, Heinikainen, Sirpa, Kärssin, Age, Kinduriene, Irena, Köglberger, Hemma, Oureilidis, Konstantinos, Ozolina, Zanda, Pijacek, Martin, Ocepek, Metka Pislak, Schäfer, Marc Oliver, Gajger, Ivana Tlak, Valerio, Maria José, Wakefield, Maureen, Franco, Stéphanie
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-05-2021
Subjects:
Bees
Diagnosis
Interlaboratory comparison
Life Sciences
Microbiology
Microscopic counting
Microscopy
Microsporidia
Mikrobiologi
Nosema
Nosema spp
Spores, Fungal
Interlaboratory comparison
Nosema spp
Diagnosis
Microscopic counting
Microsporidia
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Summary:Nosemosis is a microsporidian disease causing mortality and weakening of honey bee colonies, especially in the event of co-exposure to other sources of stress. As a result, the disease is regulated in some countries. Reliable and harmonised diagnosis is crucial to ensure the quality of surveillance and research results. For this reason, the first European Interlaboratory Comparison (ILC) was organised in 2017 in order to assess both the methods and the results obtained by National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) in counting Nosema spp. spores by microscopy. Implementing their own routine conditions of analysis, the 23 participants were asked to perform an assay on a panel of ten positive and negative samples of crushed honey bee abdomens. They were asked to report results from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. The assessment covered specificity, sensitivity, trueness and precision. Quantitative results were analysed in compliance with international standards NF ISO 13528 (2015) and NF ISO 5725-2 (1994). Three results showed a lack of precision and five a lack of trueness. However, overall results indicated a global specificity of 98% and a global sensitivity of 100%, thus demonstrating the advanced performance of the microscopic methods applied to Nosema spores by the NRLs. Therefore, the study concluded that using microscopy to detect and quantify spores of Nosema spp. was reliable and valid. •The ILC objective was to test the accuracy of the methods for counting Nosema spores.•EU-NRLs methods were based on the same principle set out in OIE Terrestrial manual.•The results of the 23 participants showed a good specificity, sensitivity, trueness and precision.
ISSN:0167-7012
1872-8359
1872-8359
0167-7012
DOI:10.1016/j.mimet.2021.106183