Author(s)

Stepan Ryba, Vaclav Kristufek, Dalibor Titera

Bee Research Institute at Dol, Libcice nad Vltavou, Czech Republic.
Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v. v. i., Institute of Soil Biology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.

American Foulbrood (AFB) is currently one of the most dangerous diseases in honeybees due to its high virulence and worldwide spread. Quick evaluation of the diagnosis of this disease is crucial. Successful eradication in the area indicates a need to test all bee colonies, but this is expensive and time consuming. A new method of detecting Paenibacillus larvae using the RIDA^?COUNT test (R-Biopharm AG, Germany) was verified in the present study. The test is based on the principle of the cultivation test with MYPGPn medium, coloration of the bacteria with TTC (2,3,5-triphenyltetra-zoliumchloride) chromophore, and heat treatment of the sample. Using this new method, color-highlighted colonies of P. larvae can be established on the seventh day after inoculating the spores. An identical number of colonies grown with the classic cultivation test on Petri dishes containing MYPGPn medium or RIDA^?COUNT-P. larvae (RC-PL) sheets were verified.

AFB; Apis mellifera L.; Bacterial Disease; Diagnosis; Diseases of Honeybees; MYPGPn Medium; Paenibacillus larvae

S. Ryba, V. Kristufek and D. Titera, "The Use of RIDA^®COUNT for Monitoring the American Foulbrood Pathogen," Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Vol. 2 No. 4, 2012, pp. 233-236. doi: 10.4236/ojvm.2012.24037.