Nosema bombi
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| Nosema bombi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Rozellomycota |
| Class: | Microsporidia |
| Family: | Nosematidae |
| Genus: | Nosema |
| Species: | N. bombi |
| Binomial name | |
| Nosema bombi Fantham & Porter | |
Nosema bombi is a microsporidian, a small, unicellular parasite recently reclassified as a fungus that mainly affects bumble bees. It was reclassified as Vairimorpha bombi in 2020.[1] The parasite infects numerous Bombus spp. at variable rates, and has been found to have a range of deleterious effects on its hosts.[2]
Nosema bombi, like other microsporidians, has two major life cycle stages, a spore stage and a vegetative stage. In most cases, the spore is ingested by the host, infecting host cells in the gut lumen and the Malpighian tubules.[2] During reproduction and proliferation the parasite spreads within the host. Fresh spores are then released into the environment via feces or a decaying host.
Transmission
The parasite is believed to rely mainly on horizontal transmission between colonies via infected workers contaminating shared food sources such as pollen or nectar, but there is some evidence that it may also be transmitted vertically.[3] Males may transmit the infection to new queens during mating. N. bombi infection prevalence has been reported to vary widely over time. For example, Manlik et al. (2017) reported that N. bombi infection prevalence in buff-tailed bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) fluctuated between 2% (2010) and 81% (2003) in Neunforn, Switzerland.[4] Moreover, N. bombi infection of this bumblebee population is associated with climate change, with higher infection prevalence during hotter, drier years.[5]