Investigation of Paenibacillus larvae subspecies larva of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran

Background: The American foulbrood disease (AFB), caused by Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae, is one of the main plagues affecting honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies, and it has a high negative impact on beekeepers worldwide. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to describe the evidence of Paenibacillus larvae larvae contamination of honey bee colonies, in the East Azerbaijan Province. METHODS: In this study, samples from honey bee colonies of North West Iran were studied for their respective ability to detect the presence of bacterial contamination, using microbiological methods. For this purpose, 10 ml of the suspension from live bees, larva, honey, pollen and wax were incubated in modified MYPGP agar (Muller-Hinton broth-yeast extract-glucose-sodium pyruvate and PO4HK2) plates. Bacterial colonies were identified by colony, bacteria morphology and biochemical tests for Paenibacillus larvae larvae. RESULTS: The results of this study indicated a low level of contamination with Paenibacillus larvae larvae in the East Azerbaijan Province. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the distribution of P.l.larvae spores in all samples of the East Azerbaijan Province, showed a clear pattern and may provide useful data for the control and prevention of American foulbrood.